
Here’s a photo to relish. Granted, the perspective was computer-generated, but it’s based on hard data obtained from the High-Resolution Stereo Camera on the European Space Agency’s Mars Express. Spectacular, isn’t it? The spacecraft has been in orbit about the Red Planet since Christmas Day 2003, snapping photos of features down to about 6 feet or the size of your refrigerator.

Reull (Ree-ul) Vallis, named for the Gaelic word for ‘planet’, was likely carved by flowing water in Mars’ ancient past between 3.5 and 1.8 billion years ago. The Reull flowed from a highland region across some 930 miles or rocky terrain before emptying onto the floor of the vast Hellas Basin, the planet’s largest impact crater. To appreciate its 4.3-mile width, consider that the Mississippi River is only about 1 mile wide at its broadest. Think of all the sediment this river must have dumped into Hellas during its lifetime.

In both the overhead and perspective views, you can see lots of roughly parallel grooves. They’re scrape marks believed to have formed when rocky debris and ice carried by glacial flows passed through the channel during more recent Amazonian Epoch.This period of Martian history began roughly 1.8 billion years ago and continues to the present day. It’s been characterized by lava flows, active Martian volcanoes, landslides and a lack of impact craters.

Ages are estimated for the varied landscapes on Mars and nearly every other solar system body by counting craters. The more craters, the older the terrain. Way back 4 billion years ago, there were far more errant asteroids and comets flying around than today. They pummeled EVERYTHING. Planets like the Earth and moons like Io and Titan have erased most of these early scars through erosion and volcanism. Less active worlds like the moon still carry their record of ancient bombardment.
Wanna see more striking images from Mars Express? Click HERE.
AstroBob, there is a curious geometric feature in the top right corner of photograph three. I think we have found their airport !!!
Rob,
Yep – runways for sure!
March 3, 2013 my magnitude predictions Bressi 4.4, Lemmon 3.6 and Panstaars 0.3.