The best pictures from Mars in 2022
The Red Planet is desolate, frozen, and has an atmosphere about 1% as thick as ours. Its winds whip up global dust storms that disrupt Mars missions that rely on solar energy for energy.
Fortunately, spacecraft on and above Mars keep us earthlings up-to-date on Martian weather and the best-viewed Martian roaming city. Whether through the magnifying glass of Perseverance’s WATSON Camera or the all-seeing eye of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, these are the best images from Mars released this year.
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Canyon system from above
Ius and Tithonium Chasmata on Mars.
The Mars Express Orbiter captured images of Valles Marineris, a canyon system about 10 times longer, 20 times wider, and five times deeper than the Grand Canyon on Earth. It’s hard to fathom the scale of such a structure, but the image — taken from miles above Mars’ surface — shows that the planet’s outer surface is much more topographically dynamic than some rover images would have you believe. It’s all about perspective.
Martian clouds look like Earth’s clouds
Two cameras aboard the Mars Express orbiter have captured images of Martian dust storms that unleash around the planet’s north pole. Interestingly, the images appear to show Martian clouds similar in structure to Earth’s clouds. It’s another reminder that despite the many differences between the two planets, there are also similarities.
Precariously balanced rock
Balanced rock spotted by perseverance.
“Well,” you might say, “this has it I got But it’s not! The boulder spotted by Perseverance in June can be seen very accurately resting on a large boulder jutting out of the ground. The boulder appears to be a precariously balanced boulder (or PBR), which is a technical term for the rock formation that also appears On the ground.
The Webb Space Telescope’s first shot of Mars
The Webb Space Telescope got home in September when it imaged Mars with its Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam). The cutting-edge space observatory has captured features on the Red Planet’s surface – the Huygens Crater, Hellas Basin and Syrtis Major, a dark spot separating the planet’s northern lowlands from the southern highlands. The telescope also took spectral data from the Martian atmosphere, revealing some details about its molecular makeup.
The infamous Mars entrance
According to NASA, this rock formation is not an alien entrance.
In May, the Curiosity rover (bless its hardworking robotic heart) photographed a strange rock formation on Mars’ Mount Sharp that almost everyone agrees is an alien entrance. (Alien in the sense of being on Mars, so who knows what the alien doors actually look like). Of course, NASA rejected the internet theory. Apparently, the feature is only a foot high and is a split between two fractures in a rock. We see what we want to see, especially on the Red Planet.
Meteor impact site
On Christmas Eve 2021, a meteor hit Mars. The impact was felt by the InSight lander, which usually detects seismic waves from Mars quakes. In 2022, the HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter photographed the impact site. It revealed ice blown away by the impact of the space rock, with a large black spot indicating the presence of the rock.
Before (and after) the meteor strike
A context camera, also on board the MRO, filmed the location before and after the impact. The boulders landed in Amazones Planitia, an area that seemed relatively simple in earlier times – and very interesting in the aftermath. The black dot is the site of the observed meteor impact, and the debris field is clearly spreading outward from where the rocks fell.
A tangle of Martian trash
Human garbage on Mars, or the offspring of the Flying Spaghetti Monster?
What’s this in fresh Martian hell? Strange droppings? In July, the Perseverance Hazard Avoidance Camera photographed a tangle of string that NASA officials confirmed was debris from the rover mission — though they weren’t quite sure. Gizmodo commenters have suggested that the filamentous detritus may be connected to the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Unfortunately, it is more likely a reminder that even noble endeavors like space exploration have consequences like interplanetary pollution.
More Martian trash
The shattered shell of perseverance and the collapsing umbrella.
The Creativity Helicopter captured a photo of some of the broken rear parachute from the Perseverance rover’s successful landing on Mars. The rover landed in February 2021, and the abandoned material was spotted in April. The image is very sharp – a welcome change from some older shots of the Red Planet.
InSight on the Bog Day
InSight seismometer on May 4, 2022.
This image was taken by the InSight lander on May 4, the day the seismometer (covered in dust in this image) detected one of the largest Martian earthquakes ever detected on the planet. The Martian earthquake had an intensity of 5.0 on Earth, which is equivalent to an earthquake one can feel but only causes minor damage.
Curiosity’s strangely unstable rocks
Unstable rocks seen by Curiosity in June 2022.
The Curiosity rover spotted flaky rocks as it passed Mars’ Mount Sharp. Scientists know that liquid water once existed on Mars, and scientists believe that these unstable rocks indicate where water has flowed through the dunes.
Last InSight selfie
The final InSight selfie was taken in April 2022.
The final selfie of the InSight lander was a sight to behold, in no small part because it shows just as well Why It’s the ultimate lander selfie. InSight is choking on Martian dust sticking to its solar panels, which means the probe can’t get enough power to keep going. The InSight team has stopped using the lander’s camera to prolong its science operations, leaving us with this last glimpse of InSight, which is expected to die in the next few months.
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