Heart on Mars

Filed under pretty pictures, Mars, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

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This heart-shaped pit on Mars is within Acheron Catena, one of many fissures on the eastern flank of Alba Patera. The heart is about 2.3 kilometers across at its widest. It was first noticed in a MOC image from Mars Global Surveyor; this image is from CTX on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and has a resolution of 6 meters per pixel.

NASA / JPL / MSSS

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NASA / JPL / MSSS

Chain of pits (including a heart) within Acheron Catena

At the center of this image is a heart-shaped pit within Acheron Catena, one of many fissures on the eastern flank of Alba Patera on Mars. The heart is about 2.3 kilometers across at its widest. It was first noticed in a MOC image from Mars Global Surveyor; this image is from CTX on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.