Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Mars: Victoria Crater in Meridiani Planum

At 730 m (2,400 ft) wide, Victoria crater is a relatively insignificant feature in the landscape of the Meridiani Planum region close to the Martian equator.

However, it is one of the most intensively studied regions of the red planet's surface thanks to its location close to the landing site of the NASA's Opportunity Mars Rover.

Photographs from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter satellite have helped to put Victoria in context - they reveal a crater edged with numerous landslips and filled with fine Martian dust that piles up in dunes near the centre of its floor.

Picture: NASA/ JPL/Cornell

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