There is still so much we don’t know about Mars, but thanks to some recently released photos, we took a much closer look at the Red Planet equivalent of the Grand Canyon. Although that’s not entirely correct, the one on Mars – called Valles Marineris – is nearly 10 times as long and three times as deep as ours on Earth. And while scientists still don’t know how the rift came about, this new images of ongoing research at the University of Arizona (UA) in Tucson gives a few more clues. Here’s how to view the out-of-this-world (sorry) photos.
What makes this canyon so special?
In essence, it is two things: it is huge and mysterious. Per Space.com:
Known as Valles Marineris, this system of deep, expansive canyons stretches for more than 2,500 miles (4,000 km) along the equator of Mars, covering nearly a quarter of the planet’s circumference. This canyon in the rock of Mars is nearly 10 times as long as Earth’s Grand Canyon and three times deeper, making it the largest canyon in the solar system and … one of the most mysterious.
Given how hot and dry it is on Mars, scientists don’t think Valles Marineris was carved by running waterlike the Grand Canyon. Although researchers at the European Space Agency (ESA) have said there is evidence that running water may have deepened some of the canyon’s existing channels – though that would have been hundreds of millions of years ago.
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How to see the new images of the rift on Mars
These are the last photos released using an incredibly high-resolution camera called HiRISE (short for High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. To view this, or any of the other photos of the canyon (or taken from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter), visit the University of Arizona at Tucson HiRISE website.