JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Image

A Closer Hubble Encounter With Mars - Tharsis

Aug. 23, 1999
Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took this view of Mars taking advantage of the space-based observatory's close approach to Mars, centering on the region known as Tharsis, home of the largest volcanoes in the solar system.

Taking advantage of Mars's closest approach to Earth in eight years, astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have taken the space-based observatory's sharpest views yet of the Red Planet. NASA is releasing these images to commemorate the second anniversary of the Mars Pathfinder landing. The lander and its rover, Sojourner, touched down on the Red Planet's rolling hills on July 4, 1997, embarking on an historic three-month mission to gather information on the planet's atmosphere, climate, and geology.

The telescope's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 snapped images between April 27 and May 6, when Mars was 54 million miles (87 million kilometers) from Earth. From this distance the telescope could see Martian features as small as 12 miles (19 kilometers) wide. The telescope obtained four images(see PIA01587), which, together, show the entire planet.

This image is centered on the region of the planet known as Tharsis, home of the largest volcanoes in the solar system. The bright, ring-like feature just to the left of center is the volcano Olympus Mons, which is more than 340 miles (550 kilometers) across and 17 miles(27 kilometers) high. Thick deposits of fine-grained, windblown dust cover most of this hemisphere. The colors indicate that the dust is heavily oxidized ("rusted"), and millions (or perhaps billions) of years of dust storms have homogenized its composition. Prominent late afternoon clouds along the right limb of the planet can be seen.

This color composite is generated from data using three filters: blue (410 nanometers), green (502 nanometers), and red (673 nanometers).

Download JPG
Download TIFF
Target
  • Mars
Instrument
  • Wide Field Planetary Camera 2
Credit
Steve Lee (University of Colorado), Jim Bell (Cornell University), Mike Wolff (Space Science Institute), and NASA

Keep Exploring

Related Topic

News .

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Completes Mars Sample Depot

Event Feb. 16, 2023 .

Perseverance: Two Years on Mars

Audio .

Episode 11: Digging In: When Rovers Get Dirt on Mars

Event Jan. 26, 2023 .

Student Webinar – Make a Cardboard Rover

Mission .

InSight

News .

NASA Explores a Winter Wonderland on Mars

Video .

What Is Winter Like on Mars? (Mars News Report)

News .

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Deposits First Sample on Mars Surface

News .

NASA Retires InSight Mars Lander Mission After Years of Science

News .

NASA’s Perseverance Rover to Begin Building Martian Sample Depot

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors
Careers
Internships
The JPL Story
JPL Achievements
Documentary Series
Annual Reports
Missions
Current
Past
Future
All
News
All
Earth
Solar System
Stars and Galaxies
Subscribe to JPL News
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Apps
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Robotics at JPL
Events
Lecture Series
Team Competitions
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Visit
Public Tours
Virtual Tour
Directions and Maps
Topics
JPL Life
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Exoplanets
Stars and Galaxies
Robotics
More
Asteroid Watch
NASA's Eyes Visualizations
Universe - Internal Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Managers: Veronica McGregor, Randal Jackson
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Naomi Hartono
CL#: 21-0018