New Mars Surface Shots: A World Without Footprints

This close-up of the rough terrain near Mars’ Zilair Crater was snapped by the High Resolution (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on August 3. It’s one of several amazing new images that make for some beautiful desktop wallpaper.

The Orbiter has been studying Mars since 2006, and the new shots below add to a collection of over 1500 taken by the HiRISE camera since April.

Because the HiRISE images are taken in red, blue-green and infrared, the images you see are not true colour, but the result of several techniques to make them better for humans to look at.

The results speak for themselves, right? [The University of Arizona and NASA]

HiRISE Camera Mars Surface Wallpapers

Colliding Sand Dunes in Aonia
Home to the House Harkonnen? Observing dune fields such as this helps researchers better understand how Martian winds sculpt the barren landscape.

Gullies at the Edge of Hale
On earth, V-shaped gullies like these are formed by water, but Mars isn’t supposed to have any. Scientists have noted some gullies are changing, and are using the HiRISE camera to help investigate if water is a possibility after all.

Fan in Southern Highlands Crater
Scientists believe that highlands like this were formed by water when Mars had a very different climate. They study images like these to better understand how water once affected its landscape.

Rough Terrain
Scientists believe the irregularly-shaped craters and rough terrain in this surface are a mix of impact material and secondary craters from nearby impacts.

Aonia Terra Periglacial Sample
Scattered rocks and boulders sit above frozen ground whipped by winds that strip away the orange surface dust.

Close-Up of a Hale Ray
This linear surface pattern (near the 78 by 93 mile Hale crater) looks like “bright streaks or rays” in infrared, and gives researches insight into the formation of blast craters.