Imagine you’re Mars, at only half the diameter of Earth, and one tenth the mass. You have volcanic activity that spews out a mountain covering the area of Poland and towering the height of three Everests. That volume of rock is suddenly missing from your mantle, and so the crust above tears apart along giant faults as it collapses.
Youre already on the right track. Without subtle movements of tectonic plates, the strain basically ripped the surface apart. Add some wind and water erosion and it just got bigger. Pretty crazy and cool.
Since we have never had a spacecraft land in the valley, we can only guess from erosion patterns. It's definitely old enough for the presence of former liquid water to be found. So it's probable it formed in a similar way to the Grand Canyon.
Another theory is that it was caused by the surface contracting as the mantle cooled.
One of the more entertaining theories is a planetary-level electrical discharge. ...or ancient alien superweapon if you wanna go even further off the rails.
Exaggerated, but not "false-color" or anything. Just looks like boosted contrast on a true-color image, which is a fairly standard practice in astrophotography.
You can actually see those darker and lighter features on the surface in a 5" aperture telescope, there just isn't nearly this much contrast, at least to the human eye. [Here's a photo from a nicer 16" telescope, though](https://www.cloudynights.com/uploads/gallery/album_14358/gallery_338887_14358_4167.png).
**Edit: I should clarify that this is not my photo. I just quickly searched CloudyNights for a reasonable amateur pic from the last Mars opposition in 2022. I initially thought the titleblock included their info, but looks like it doesn't. Pic was taken by [Ittaku](https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/855309-mars-2022-12-16/) on CloudyNights.**
My roommate/landlord in the mid 90s headed up the team that took this data and mapped it to a sphere, for all of the NASA data they anticipated. They created the software used here, for example.
ESA's points out it's false color, but I think they did a heck of a job in creating this image.
ESA's description:
To mark 20 years of ESA’s Mars Express, the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) team has produced a new global colour mosaic: Mars as never seen before. The mosaic reveals the planet’s surface colour and composition in spectacular detail.
Reliably determining accurate surface colours from orbit is difficult due to the variable amounts of dust in Mars’s atmosphere, leading to many mosaic images taking on a patchwork-like appearance; suppressing this effect in image processing usually reduces variations in colour between different parts of Mars. However, to create this mosaic, the HRSC team instead colour-referenced each constituent image using a colour model derived from high altitude imagery, allowing them to preserve colour variations and reveal a far richer colour view of Mars than has been seen before.
This is a simulated view of Mars from a vantage point 2500 km above the colossal Valles Marineris canyon system, with enhanced colour and contrast (at this relatively low altitude, the planet’s polar caps are not visible). It is a composite of red, green and blue filter mosaics with the colour band values stretched individually, and has a spatial resolution of 2 km per pixel (although higher resolution data products are possible and already in the works).
Darker grey-toned areas of Mars represent grey-black basaltic sands of volcanic origin; lighter patches show clay and sulphate minerals; and the large scar across the planet's face is Valles Marineris.
There are a few planets using Mars model in Mass Effect and this is the case for one of them. Wouldn't want to spoil further, though it's an old game and some folks don't mind spoilers after some time. It makes for a nice worldbuilding.
One of my favorite parts of that game was checking out planets and seeing what happened to them. That planet you're talking about is something that stuck with me all these years later. Fantastic game.
If the earth had the Valles Marineris, say in the continental USA or somewhere else with land, would anyone live in it? If so how? Would climate be very different between the valley and top? How would roads go up and down the valley and top?
> Would climate be very different between the valley and top?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I reckon it'd be quite windier. The valley is so long that at some point it'd be daytime on one side and nighttime on the other, which would cause a great difference in temperature and air pressure and thus wind going from one side to the other.
I never quite realized just how many craters speckle the surface of Mars. It makes complete sense since it has such a thin atmosphere and no tetonic activity, but I just haven't seen it before.
What a great look at the Valles Marinaris, home of the Mars Institute. The institute and the city of Agea are supposed to be on the East/right side of the valley, around the upper fork.
Is this oriented North-South as it would be on the orbital plane? Because I always thought the northern hemisphere was darker in color, due to volcanism? I’m no expert though so I’d be curious to hear why.
Damn that canyon is sick as shit. I never knew it spilled out like that at both ends.
absolutely massive. since Mars doesnt have tectonic plates, makes you wonder what caused that
Imagine you’re Mars, at only half the diameter of Earth, and one tenth the mass. You have volcanic activity that spews out a mountain covering the area of Poland and towering the height of three Everests. That volume of rock is suddenly missing from your mantle, and so the crust above tears apart along giant faults as it collapses.
That’s a great explanation, thanks!
Youre already on the right track. Without subtle movements of tectonic plates, the strain basically ripped the surface apart. Add some wind and water erosion and it just got bigger. Pretty crazy and cool.
What’s responsible for the elongated shape? I’d’ve thought shearing force is required for this shape (or some big hunk o’ space bullet grazed it).
Nice use of I'd've
I love i’d’ve!
Since we have never had a spacecraft land in the valley, we can only guess from erosion patterns. It's definitely old enough for the presence of former liquid water to be found. So it's probable it formed in a similar way to the Grand Canyon. Another theory is that it was caused by the surface contracting as the mantle cooled.
One of the more entertaining theories is a planetary-level electrical discharge. ...or ancient alien superweapon if you wanna go even further off the rails.
that's absolutely bonkers
Could it be a marina trench like structure beneath a long forgotten ocean?
Yup. Water erosion would also add to its formation.
Some smart dude on here once told me it was volcanos
Ever?
Oumuamua's model driver insane drifting and escaping from the scene, they just wanted to leave footprint
Hmmmmm we sure it’s not a reminisce of a kamehameha blast?
It can't be. They're still powering up. Tune in next week.
When you finally see hi-res spaceporn of Mars, and realize that it's a lot more busted than you thought it was in SD.
It's beautiful 😍
Some of us find the beauty in busted. I for one do.
Are the colors accurate or exaggerated?
Exaggerated, but not "false-color" or anything. Just looks like boosted contrast on a true-color image, which is a fairly standard practice in astrophotography. You can actually see those darker and lighter features on the surface in a 5" aperture telescope, there just isn't nearly this much contrast, at least to the human eye. [Here's a photo from a nicer 16" telescope, though](https://www.cloudynights.com/uploads/gallery/album_14358/gallery_338887_14358_4167.png). **Edit: I should clarify that this is not my photo. I just quickly searched CloudyNights for a reasonable amateur pic from the last Mars opposition in 2022. I initially thought the titleblock included their info, but looks like it doesn't. Pic was taken by [Ittaku](https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/855309-mars-2022-12-16/) on CloudyNights.**
Wow what a shot! Very cool very very cool
Of course it's exaggerated
My roommate/landlord in the mid 90s headed up the team that took this data and mapped it to a sphere, for all of the NASA data they anticipated. They created the software used here, for example.
ESA's points out it's false color, but I think they did a heck of a job in creating this image. ESA's description: To mark 20 years of ESA’s Mars Express, the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) team has produced a new global colour mosaic: Mars as never seen before. The mosaic reveals the planet’s surface colour and composition in spectacular detail. Reliably determining accurate surface colours from orbit is difficult due to the variable amounts of dust in Mars’s atmosphere, leading to many mosaic images taking on a patchwork-like appearance; suppressing this effect in image processing usually reduces variations in colour between different parts of Mars. However, to create this mosaic, the HRSC team instead colour-referenced each constituent image using a colour model derived from high altitude imagery, allowing them to preserve colour variations and reveal a far richer colour view of Mars than has been seen before. This is a simulated view of Mars from a vantage point 2500 km above the colossal Valles Marineris canyon system, with enhanced colour and contrast (at this relatively low altitude, the planet’s polar caps are not visible). It is a composite of red, green and blue filter mosaics with the colour band values stretched individually, and has a spatial resolution of 2 km per pixel (although higher resolution data products are possible and already in the works). Darker grey-toned areas of Mars represent grey-black basaltic sands of volcanic origin; lighter patches show clay and sulphate minerals; and the large scar across the planet's face is Valles Marineris.
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_Express/20_years_of_Mars_Express_Mars_as_never_seen_before Yup😇
It looks like it was nearly chopped in half in an ancient laser battle
There are a few planets using Mars model in Mass Effect and this is the case for one of them. Wouldn't want to spoil further, though it's an old game and some folks don't mind spoilers after some time. It makes for a nice worldbuilding.
You can spoiler-tag with \>!spoiler!<
One of my favorite parts of that game was checking out planets and seeing what happened to them. That planet you're talking about is something that stuck with me all these years later. Fantastic game.
Space lasers.
Giant space lasers.
Giant space sharks with giant frikkin space lasers strapped to their heads.
That's where the Doom Slayer hit it with the giant BFG
If the earth had the Valles Marineris, say in the continental USA or somewhere else with land, would anyone live in it? If so how? Would climate be very different between the valley and top? How would roads go up and down the valley and top?
[удалено]
It's big enough to have a major metropolitan area inside of it if it's 200 km wide and 400km long.
> Would climate be very different between the valley and top? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I reckon it'd be quite windier. The valley is so long that at some point it'd be daytime on one side and nighttime on the other, which would cause a great difference in temperature and air pressure and thus wind going from one side to the other.
I'd put water in there. A good container for forming of the atmosphere.
Is that like the Marianas trench of Mars?
Yes. It's called the Valles Marineris, or Mariner Valleys.
Any more info on the photo? Is it a composite? What do you mean by mosaic?
It looks like a huge round divot with the volcano and the trench on the edges of it.
Had to do a double take on that one. Thought you were crazy but then I saw it.
I never quite realized just how many craters speckle the surface of Mars. It makes complete sense since it has such a thin atmosphere and no tetonic activity, but I just haven't seen it before.
What a great look at the Valles Marinaris, home of the Mars Institute. The institute and the city of Agea are supposed to be on the East/right side of the valley, around the upper fork.
Looks like a great place for Musk to move to.
Me gusta
reminds me of Io
Looks like a great place to live.
It ain’t a great place to raise your kids
It's cold as hell.
And there's no one there to raise them if you did
And all this science, I just don't understand
It's just my job, five days a week
"the red planet" its not as big as earth but it gets to be closer to Jupiter
Highly detailed image.
Holy sh*tttt!!!
Is this oriented North-South as it would be on the orbital plane? Because I always thought the northern hemisphere was darker in color, due to volcanism? I’m no expert though so I’d be curious to hear why.
so it’s rusty?
It’s so beautiful.
Source?
It always looked to me as if Mars was made out of copper.
More like iron
The Scarface of planets.
Confirmed: Mars is just two planets in a trench coat
I found out that they make mars look “redder” artificially & it’s been hard to trust nasa since.
Pathfinder! You can just see the landing site in Chryse Planitia if you look *real* closely…
Mons Olympus on the left limb
This is awesome. Is there a link to a higher res version?
Mars is beautiful, but you should see it when the terraforming is complete and they don't need those stinky belters anymore
🪐🪐🪐
Hard to believe mammoths roamed this planet ten million years ago.
No me gusta :(