Dune Monitoring
HiRISE PICTURE OF THE DAY: 4 AUGUST 2025

Delectable Dunes of Mars

These gorgeous dunes within an impact crater in Acidalia Planitia are the focus of this observation to monitor frost deposition, evolution, and sublimation. As a ride-along with the Context Camera, an additional goal is to capture the onset of seasonal frost and make detailed surface measurements.



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.

Glacial (Ice) or Lava Flow?
The geologic setting and latitude here suggest this is a glacial (ice-rich) flow, but the surface is broken into plates like many lava flows on Mars.