Circular Outcrop of Bright Rock
HiRISE PICTURE OF THE DAY: 14 JULY 2026

Circular Mystery

This image features an interesting circular outcrop of rock that appears dark in infrared but in Context Camera data, appears to be a much rougher terrain surrounding a knob. It is possible this is the remnant of an ancient cinder cone and surrounding lava field. The area might be on a postulated shield volcano with its caldera to the north. Or is it a deposit of minerals from fumaroles similar to those found near Home Plate that the Spirit rover explored?



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.