The Fogs of Mars
Fogs of clouds and dust covered parts of southern
Mars during last
Martian winter.
Giant volcanoes, such as
Ascraeus Mons, the central circular feature near the top of
the image, were surrounded by large
water clouds.
Slightly southwest, Pavonis Mons and Arisa Mons also peeked above their water clouds.
The rough terrain below center is
Labyrinthus Noctis, a maze of deep troughs running over 200 kilometers long.
Directly south, a large white dust storm fogs
Syria Planum, a large plateau.
This image mosaic was taken by the
Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft currently orbiting
Mars.
Soon,
five more Earth-launched spacecraft
should arrive at the Red Planet, named for the
Roman god of war.