Bright Deposits and Channels in Thaumasia Planum
HiRISE PICTURE OF THE DAY: 18 AUGUST 2026
Bright Deposits and Channels in Thaumasia Planum

This area is dominated by bright exposures as revealed by CaSSIS instrument data as well as Context Camera images. The Thaumasia plateau is south of the Valles Marineris canyon system and consists of high lava plains partly surrounded by rugged highlands, mostly of Noachian and Hesperian age. The name comes from Thaumas, Greek god of the clouds and celestial apparitions.



100,000 Image of Mars!
On 7 October 2025, the HiRISE camera aboard MRO acquired an image of the Syrtis Major plains that marks over 100,000 images of Mars, which is a fabulous milestone!
HiRISE Image of Exocomet 3I/ATLAS
On 2 October 2025, MRO turned away from Mars to image 3I/ATLAS, only the third interstellar object ever observed passing through our solar system!

HiRISE Instrument News
HiRISE Instrument News
Since mid-2023, our RED4 CCD has operated only intermittently due to a hardware issue, creating gaps in the middle of some image products and reducing the color swath to 1 CCD width. We continue to command RED4 in all observations and it returns data approximately 50% of the time

Crater Ejecta in Northern Arabia Terra
The objective of this observation is to examine ejecta from a well-preserved crater. This is a good place to image because there is little dust cover, so many details are visible. Context Camera image data hints at many small channels that are more easily seen with a HiRISE image. Also, just beyond the ejecta are many round mounds that may have something to do with the hot ejecta melting ground ice.