A Meandering Channel on Hellas’ Rim
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
A Meandering Channel on Hellas’ Rim
ESP_045611_1410  Science Theme: Glacial/Periglacial Processes
The central portion of this image features a mildly-winding depression that was carved by water, likely around four billion years ago shortly after the Hellas basin formed following a giant asteroid or comet impact.

Water would have flowed from the uplands (to the east) and drained into the low-lying basin, carving river channels as it flowed. The gentle curves—called “meanders” by geomorphologists—imply that this paleoriver carried lots of sediment along with it, depositing it into Hellas.

Written by: Kirby Runyon (narration: Tre Gibbs)  (15 July 2016)
 
Acquisition date
19 April 2016

Local Mars time
15:22

Latitude (centered)
-38.848°

Longitude (East)
102.307°

Spacecraft altitude
253.5 km (157.6 miles)

Original image scale range
50.7 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~152 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
50 cm/pixel and North is up

Map projection
Equirectangular

Emission angle
0.3°

Phase angle
72.6°

Solar incidence angle
72°, with the Sun about 18° above the horizon

Solar longitude
139.8°, Northern Summer

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  97°
Sub-solar azimuth:  45.0°
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non-map           (216MB)

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non-map           (230MB)

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RGB color
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BONUS
4K (TIFF)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
B&W label
Color label
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HiView

NB
IRB: infrared-red-blue
RGB: red-green-blue
About color products (PDF)

Black & white is 5 km across; enhanced color about 1 km
For scale, use JPEG/JP2 black & white map-projected images

USAGE POLICY
All of the images produced by HiRISE and accessible on this site are within the public domain: there are no restrictions on their usage by anyone in the public, including news or science organizations. We do ask for a credit line where possible:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

POSTSCRIPT
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona.