I sometimes forget that we have a huge telescope in orbit of #Mars, returning some *amazing* high-res images of the Red Planet.

This is an enhanced-colour view from @HiRISE of sand dunes (basalt and gypsum grains) in the vast dune sea near the north pole—and it's just beautiful.

(Field of view in this scene is ~750 m across; the image shows an area centered at 84.7°N, 0.8°E, taken in 2008. For more: https://www.uahirise.org/PSP_009324_2650 )

What's that? I should be making lectures?

Whatever. Here's another *gorgeous* @HiRISE view of #Mars—this time, an enhanced-colour view of layered units in the 64-km-diameter Danielson crater, carved and exposed by erosion. I mean, come on Mars

(Field of view is ~650 m across, centered at 8.3°N, 353°E. For more: https://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_026349_1885 )

(I've a feeling I'm gonne be posting more of these...)

I mean, COME ON

(This one's a crater with no name (as far as I can tell), about 1.4 km across, situated within a vast region called Meridiani Planum and about 116 km southeast of the Opportunity @MarsRovers *sniffle*)

(Read more: https://www.uahirise.org/ESP_039628_1765 )

Or, y'know, those avalanches of frost and dust that @HiRISE has spotted, which show that #Mars is geologically active *today*?!

Near the north pole, sunlight warms up these frost–dust layers in the spring, driving material down these 100s-m-high cliffs. Active Mars!!

(These images show an area a few hundred meters across, and were both taken in 2010. For more, see https://www.uahirise.org/ESP_016423_2640  and https://www.uahirise.org/ESP_016228_2650 !)