Newly Released NASA Images of Mars Show the Red Planet in a New Light (PHOTOS) | The Weather Channel
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Space

You might be surprised that these images actually show Mars.

BySean Breslin
August 8, 2016Updated: August 8, 2016, 7:32 pm EDTPublished: August 8, 2016, 7:32 pm EDT


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Dunes are seen on the surface of Mars in this NASA photo released Aug. 3, 2016. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)




NASA has released its latest monthly batch of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter photos, and this time, they've shared more than 1,000 with the world.

The orbiter has been taking photos of the Red Planet for 10 years thanks to its camera known as HiRISE (High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment), which captures extremely detailed images of the Mars surface, according to Tech Insider. Scientists use these photos to study the planet, but amateur skywatchers look forward to the monthly photo dump as another chance to witness the beauty HiRISE is seeing.

HiRISE is the largest and most powerful camera ever sent to explore any planet, Universe Today said, and that's what allows NASA to get these incredible images – and so many of them. It orbits Mars at an altitude of nearly 200 miles above the surface aboard the MRO, the report added.

(PHOTOS: Photographer Perfectly Captures the Beauty of Nature's Fury)

The 1,035-image batch was larger than usual this month because the Red Planet is closer to Earth and, therefore, download rates are higher, HiRISE camera manager Alfred McEwen told Tucson.com.

At the top of this page, we've selected 20 of our favorite images from the Aug. 3 collection released by NASA, and we hope they help to shed more light on the varying terrain of the Red Planet.



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