Investigating Mars: Moreux Crater

Moreux Crater is located in northern Arabia Terra and has a diameter of 138 kilometers. The crater contains a central peak, and dunes on the floor of the crater. This VIS image shows the dune field to the northwest of the central peak. The rim of the crater is at the top of the image. It has be dissected by numerous channels. There are indications that glaciers may have been present in the valleys at sometime in the past.

The Odyssey spacecraft has spent over 15 years in orbit around Mars, circling the planet more than 69000 times. It holds the record for longest working spacecraft at Mars. THEMIS, the IR/VIS camera system, has collected data for the entire mission and provides images covering all seasons and lighting conditions. Over the years many features of interest have received repeated imaging, building up a suite of images covering the entire feature. From the deepest chasma to the tallest volcano, individual dunes inside craters and dune fields that encircle the north pole, channels carved by water and lava, and a variety of other feature, THEMIS has imaged them all. For the next several months the image of the day will focus on the Tharsis volcanoes, the various chasmata of Valles Marineris, and the major dunes fields. We hope you enjoy these images!