Note: Any images of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS are considered NASA-wide news.
Because the federal government is in shutdown, communications of NASA news have been suspended.


Banded Olivine-Rich Massif in Northeast Hellas Planitia
HiRISE PICTURE OF THE DAY: 23 OCTOBER 2025

An Olivine-Rich Massif in Hellas

This observation targets banded terrain located in an olivine-rich massif in the Hellas Basin. The olivine-rich massifs have been interpreted as ejecta blocks excavated from the lower crust/upper mantle by the Hellas Basin impact. In places, this banding is disrupted by a blobby and streaky dark-toned unit.



HiRISE Instrument News
Since July 23, 2023, HiRISE observations have lacked data from the RED4 CCD due to a hardware issue, creating a gap in the middle of image products and reducing the color swath to 1 CCD width. We are investigating the hardware issue and may be able to acquire some RED4 data in the future.

Complicated Lava Cooling
This HiRISE image shows a classic example of platy-ridged lava. Scientists think that this is the same as a lava type called “rubbly pahoehoe” on Earth.