Psyche’s High-Resolution View of Mars’ South Pole
1 Min Read
Psyche’s High-Resolution View of Mars’ South Pole
PIA26773
Credits:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
Photojournal Navigation
Science
Photojournal
Psyche’s High-Resolution…
Photojournal Home
Photojournal Search
Latest Content
Galleries
Feedback
RSS
About
Downloads
Psyche’s High-Resolution View of Mars’ South Pole
PNG (1.09 MB)
Description
This is the highest-resolution view of the water ice-rich south polar cap of Mars captured by NASA’s Psyche mission after it made its close approach with the planet for a gravity assist. The image scale is around 0.7 miles per pixel (1.14 kilometers per pixel). The cap itself extends across more than 430 miles (700 kilometers). The image was acquired with Imager A on May 15, 2026, at about 1:53 p.m. PDT.
With Mars in the rearview mirror, the spacecraft will soon resume use of its solar-electric propulsion system to make a beeline to the main asteroid belt, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. When it arrives in August 2029, it will insert itself into orbit around the asteroid Psyche, which is thought to be the partial core of a planetesimal, a building block of an early planet.
For more information about NASA’s Psyche mission, visit:
Keep Exploring
Discover More Topics From Photojournal
Photojournal
Search Photojournal
Photojournal’s Latest Content
Feedback
