Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

The Spiral North Pole of Mars

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for July 6, 2025 is “The Spiral North Pole of Mars,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin ; NASA MGS MOLA Science Team. The original explanation runs about 106 words.

A computer construction of what the north pole of Mars looks like. The picture was constructed from measured altitude data. A spiral landscape is seen that is colored red but is mostly covered with white ice. Please see the explanation for
Credit: Image Credit: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin ; NASA MGS MOLA Science Team Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Why is there a spiral around the North Pole of Mars? Each winter this pole develops a new outer layer about one meter thick composed of carbon dioxide frozen out of the thin Martian atmosphere.”

— APOD editors, July 6, 2025

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
July 6, 2025
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin ; NASA MGS MOLA Science Team
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 106 words

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Topics in this entry

Mars

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.