NASA releases pictures of stunning icy blue dunes on Mars' surface

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has released pictures of spellbinding blue dunes from the red planet-Mars.

In an image released by NASA, areas depicted in yellows and oranges have warmer temperatures. Areas marked in bluer tints, that resemble blankets of snow, have cooler temperatures. The area captured in 30 kilometers wide and situated on 80.3 degrees north latitude and 172.1 degrees latitude.

Areas differentiated by shades of yellows, oranges and blues (Image: NASA website)

Area covered in 30 kilometers wide (Image: NASA website)

The US space agency has released these images on the twentieth anniversary of the Odyssey rover. The images shared by NASA were taken using the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) instrument on the Odyssey orbiter, which has sent around 1 million images since it started circling Mars.

The imaging system developed by the Arizona State University has been instrumental in reporting significant findings from Mars such as rocks, salts, water and much more. Besides this, the THEMIS imaging system has also captured unique views from Mars' moons-Phobos and Deimos.

According to Odyssey's deputy project scientist Laura Kerber, "It's hard to overstate how the THEMIS global map has filled gaps in our knowledge."

THEMIS "measures the surface temperature day and night, allowing scientists to determine what physical materials, such as rock, sand, or dust, exist. Its data reveals the presence of these materials based on how they heat up or cool down over the course of a Martian day," according to the NASA website.

Edited by Mehak Agarwal

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