Bright Patches on Crater Floor in Thaumasia Planum
HiRISE PICTURE OF THE DAY: 26 MAY 2026

Bright Patches

The science rationale for this observation underscores the imporrtance of HiRISE to provide higher resolution images: the CaSSIS instrument on the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter detected bright patches here, so we can take a more detailed look. This footprint is in the southwestern part of an extremely old and infilled impact crater in Thaumasia Planum, wihich lies south of Melas and Coprates Chasmata.



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.