Stunning photo of huge dusty AVALANCHE on Mars captured by NASA spacecraft

An AMAZING image of an avalanche on Mars catapulting dust onto the planet’s surface has been shared online by NASA.

Captured by one of the space agency’s Mars satellites, the image captures debris plunging into a 1,640-foot-high (500-meter-high) cliff last year.

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The dramatic dust explosion was spotted by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in May 2019 and shared by NASA on Monday.

Scientists are currently celebrating the 15th anniversary of the launch of MRO, one of the oldest spacecraft on the Red Planet.

NASA said the avalanche, captured by the MRO’s high-resolution imaging science experiment’s camera, was triggered by rising temperatures on Mars.

“As temperatures rise and vaporize the ice, the destabilized blocks of ice break off and raise dust,” the space agency said.

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The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station in Florida in August 2005.

The veteran spacecraft studies temperatures in Mars’ thin atmosphere, looks underground with radar, and detects minerals on the planet’s surface.

To date, the satellite has provided glimpses of dust devils, avalanches and more, NASA said.

The image shared on Monday was taken as the satellite flew over the north pole of Mars in the spring.

Facts about Mars

Here’s what you need to know about the Red Planet …

• Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun
• It is named after the Roman god of war
• The landmass of Mars is very similar to Earth, but due to the difference in gravity, you can jump three times higher than you can here
• Mars is mountainous and home to the highest known mountain in the solar system called Olympus Mons, which is three times taller than Everest
• Mars is considered the second most habitable planet after Earth
• The planet puts 687 Earth days in orbit around the Sun
• So far there have been 39 missions to Mars, but only 16 of them have been successful

“As the seasonal ice vaporized in the spring, these 1,640-foot-high (500-meter-high) cliffs began to crumble,” NASA said.

“These cliffs reveal the deep time scales of the planet, exposing the many layers of ice and dust that have been deposited at different times.

“Like the rings on a tree, each layer has a story to tell scientists how the environment was changing.”

NASA celebrated MRO’s 15th anniversary on August 12 with a blog post detailing some of its best photos.

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In other news, a bizarre panorama captured by Curiosity from the surface of Mars is the most detailed ever.

NASA recently mysteriously lost control of Curiosity on the surface of Mars.

And the water that once flowed to Mars contained the right ingredients to support life, scientists say.

What do you think of the NASA photo? Let us know in the comments!

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