Ice melts in the springtime on Mars | Space photo of the day for April 24, 2026

Springtime has arrived on Mars as ice melts on the planet’s northern ice cap.

A new photo captured by the HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reveals crescent-shaped dunes and melting ice across the Martian surface.

What is it?

This new image from HiRISE, which stands for High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, shows the surface of Chasma Boreale, a large valley in Mars’ northern ice cap.

Here, ice melts and recedes in the springtime, some evidence of which can be seen in this image.

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In this image, you can also see dunes streaking across the Martian surface. They hold information about the winds on the planet, as you can tell the direction of the wind based on the direction of the dunes’ sharp tips.

Why is it incredible?

Chasma Boreale is a valley with walls rising up 4,600 feet (1,400 meters) from its flat floor. Hundreds of millions of miles away from Earth, this barren landscape lies at the planet’s northern ice cap.

And yet, however icy cold, desolate, or far away this planet is, it feels the change of springtime just as we do here on Earth.

This image is a visual reminder of the similarities worlds share across the solar system, however different they may be.