All articles tagged with #hirise
A HiRISE photo of a Martian southern highlands hill appears bear-like, but scientists say the look is due to pareidolia—the nose is a V-shaped collapse, the eyes are two craters, and a circular fracture forms the head—higher-resolution images show it’s simply a mesa; such features, including salt-pond deposits that could host biosignatures, remain relevant targets for future Mars missions.
Beagle 2 separated from Mars Express in December 2003 and appeared to land in Isidis Planitia, beginning solar-panel deployment; no signal was received. In 2015 HiRISE imagery suggested the lander and deployed panels, but later work showed the panels' final configuration could vary and that the antenna was likely obscured by panels, explaining the lack of contact. Subsequent modelling (notably 2016 Leicester/De Montfort work) indicated at least three panels probably opened, possibly all four, leaving uncertainty about exactly what failed. The finding marks a milestone in showing the mission reached Mars, but the science package never returned, and the exact failure mode remains unresolved.
NASA's newest Mars images from rovers Perseverance and Curiosity, along with orbiters, highlight ancient water-rich environments and potential biosignatures, underscoring Mars as a prime site to study life’s origins and to inform future crewed missions.
NASA's Perseverance rover completed a Martian marathon by driving 42.195 km in about five years and four months, a milestone visible in a HiRISE image from Mars orbit that shows the rover as a blue‑green dot with its looping wheel tracks near Jezero Crater.
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured its 100,000th image of the Red Planet with the HiRISE camera, showcasing the Syrtis Major region near Jezero Crater and highlighting the mission's ongoing role in tracking Mars’ changing surface, with public input via the HiWish project.
A cropped Mars image that seemed to show a perfect square sparked viral speculation about artificial structures, but HiRISE's higher-resolution view reveals irregular terrain and lighting create the illusion, a classic case of pareidolia and the importance of context in planetary images.
HiRISE images of Mars’ northern ice cap at Chasma Boreale show springtime ice melt and crescent dunes that reveal wind patterns across the Martian surface, highlighting seasonal changes on the red planet.
A pyramid‑like feature in Mars’ Candor Chasma known as the Candor Tetrahedron drew attention for resembling an ancient monument, but high‑resolution HiRISE imagery shows it’s a natural wind‑ and water‑eroded hill among other rock forms. The three sides aren’t identical, and the surrounding landscape, including positive relief knobs and aeolian ripples, supports a geological explanation rather than artificial construction. The shape is a classic case of pareidolia in planetary geology.
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's HiRISE camera captured its 100,000th image of Mars, showcasing the planet's dynamic surface and involving public participation in selecting imaging targets, with the latest photo depicting the windblown dunes of Syrtis Major.
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured its 100,000th image of Mars using the HiRISE camera, aiding scientists in studying the planet's surface changes and preparing for future human missions, with the orbiter operating for over 20 years since 2006.
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured a striking image of a recent impact crater on Mars, revealing a dramatic blast zone and ejecta pattern, providing valuable insights into Martian surface changes and impact frequency.
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has taken its 100,000th high-resolution image of Mars using the HiRISE camera, providing valuable data on Martian surface features and aiding future exploration efforts. The milestone image shows mesas and dunes in Syrtis Major, and the project involves public participation and educational outreach.
Avi Loeb urges NASA to release 40-day-old HiRISE images of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, emphasizing the importance of scientific transparency and data sharing in understanding whether the object is a natural comet or an extraterrestrial technological artifact, amid ongoing debates and upcoming observations.
On October 3, 2025, the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS passed within 29 million kilometers of Mars, with the CNSA's Tianwen-1 orbiter capturing fuzzy images of its nucleus and surrounding coma, while higher-resolution images from NASA's HiRISE are awaited.
Avi Loeb requests NASA to release valuable HiRISE images of interstellar object 3I/ATLAS near Mars, delayed due to government shutdown, highlighting the importance of timely scientific data dissemination and addressing conspiracy theories.