NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft has captured unusual circles of sand dunes on the Red Planet.
The dunes were snapped by MRO's High Resolution Imaging Experiment (HiRise) colour camera.
While sand dunes of many shapes and sizes are common on Mars. The MRO captured "dunes that are almost perfectly circular, which is unusual," wrote planetary geologist Alfred McEwen for a HiRise picture-of-the-day feature.
While being circular, "they are still slightly asymmetrical" and have "steep slip faces on the south ends," McEwen wrote.
He explained that this indicates that "sand generally moves to the south, but the winds may be variable".
The dunes were snapped in late November last year - when researchers were studying the area to monitor for seasonal changes in frost coverage. This image shows frost is absent from the landscape.
MRO, which has higher-resolution instruments than Odyssey, was launched in 2005. It has studied the Red Planet's atmosphere and terrain from orbit since 2006 and also serves as a key data relay station for other Mars missions.
Equipped with a powerful camera called HiRISE that has aided in a number of discoveries, the MRO has sent back thousands of stunning images of the Martian surface that are helping scientists learn more about Mars, including the history of water flows on or near the planet's surface.
India leads global AI adoption with 30pc companies maximising AI value: Report
India leads Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption with 30 per cent of companies in the country having maximised AI’s value potential -- surpassing the global average of 26 per cent, according to a report.
IIT Madras, ISRO to study spacecraft & launch vehicle-related thermal management
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras on Monday announced a collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for research in ‘Fluid and Thermal Sciences’.
Scientists to probe if grape juice chemical can prevent bowel cancer
The team will probe a chemical called resveratrol -- a naturally occurring ingredient found in grapes, blueberries, raspberries, and peanuts -- for potential cancer prevention.
Musk’s SpaceX wins $733 million launch contract from US Space Force
The US Space Force’s Space Systems Command issued Launch Service Task Orders (LSTOs) totalling $733,566,001 to SpaceX under the “National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1.”
India takes lead in 6G after record 5G roll out: Experts
After a successful 5G rollout, the country is now taking lead in 6G as the ‘Digital India’ initiative transforms the economy, with the Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile (JAM) trinity emerging as a solid foundation block, experts said here on Friday.
NASA-SpaceX's Europa Clipper off to explore Jupiter's ocean world
"Today, we embark on a new journey across the solar system in search of the ingredients for life within Jupiter's icy moon. Our next chapter in space exploration has begun," he added.
Indian conglomerates set to spend $800 bn on growth, new businesses in focus
Indian conglomerates are likely to spend about $800 billion on growth over the next 10 years, almost triple of what they spent over the prior decade, a report showed on Monday.
NASA’s Europa Clipper mission to lift off on Monday: SpaceX
After being stalled due to hurricane Milton, NASA’s Europa Clipper mission aims to fly to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa in search of life on Monday, SpaceX has said.