Mars: A Look at Steep North Polar Cliffs | NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Mars: A Look at Steep North Polar Cliffs | NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

This very steep (more than 60 degrees) scarp shows mass wasting activity every year in the early northern spring, when it is first illuminated after the period of winter darkness. This observation was an attempt to image in late northern winter, in spite of poor illumination. The solar incidence angle is 91.3 degrees, meaning that the Sun is just below the horizon and there was no direct lighting when this image was acquired. However, the atmosphere scatters light to create some diffuse lighting, and the surface is very bright from winter frost deposition, so a useful image of the surface was obtained.

The image reveals relatively dark streaks down the steep slope, so mass wasting activity has already started. There is some direct illumination here close to noontime at this time of year, which may be sufficient to initiate some activity.

Black and white images are 5 km across; enhanced color images are 1 km.

Image Date: Nov. 22, 2022

Latitude (centered) 83.882°

Longitude (East) 235.184°

Spacecraft altitude: 316.7 km (196.8 miles)

This image was taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft’s High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) instrument.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is a spacecraft designed to study the geology and climate of Mars, to provide reconnaissance of future landing sites, and to relay data from surface missions back to Earth. It was launched on August 12, 2005, and reached Mars on March 10, 2006. 

The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) instrument, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. 

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

“For 17 years, MRO has been revealing Mars to us as no one had seen it before,” said the mission’s project scientist, Rich Zurek of JPL.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

Narration: Tre Gibbs

Caption Credit: Alfred McEwen

Duration: 1 minute, 13 seconds

Release Date: Aug. 7, 2023

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