The Grand Canyon of Mars
Picture Credit: NASA,Viking Project,USGS
Discover the cosmos! Each day we feature a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
July 20, 1995
The Grand Canyon of Mars
Picture Credit: NASA,Viking Project,USGS
Explanation: The Mariner Valley, also known as the Valles Marineris canyon system, appears in this mosaic of images from NASA's Viking spacecraft as a huge gouge across the red planet. This "Grand Canyon" of Mars is about 2500 miles long and up to 4 miles deep. By comparison, the Earth's Grand Canyon is less than 500 miles long and 1 mile deep.
For more information about Mars see Calvin J. Hamilton's Mars Page.
The exploration of Mars is chronicled by the Center For Mars Exploration.