NASA released impressive images on Mars

Images of green sand dunes on Mars were released by the US Space Agency (NASA) to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Odyssey orbiter's operation.

The photo, titled 'Blue Dunes on the Red Planet' , was taken with THEMIS (Thermal Emission Imaging System) , Odyssey's infrared camera.

According to Mashable, this sand dune was created by strong winds, surrounding the North Pole of Mars with a size equivalent to the state of Texas (USA). The location of sand dunes on Mars is 80.3 degrees north latitude, 172.1 degrees east longitude.

Image of sand dunes on Mars has been color processed. (Photo: NASA).

The highlight of the photo is the color. According to NASA, this photo was color-corrected based on sand dune temperature. Specifically, orange-yellow represents warm sand dune areas, blue represents areas with lower temperatures.

NASA said THEMIS can measure the temperature of the surface of Mars day and night, helping to identify rocks, sand or dust. Data from THEMIS helps analyze the appearance of components based on the temperature of the day on Mars.

Laura Kerber, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory researcher and chief scientist of the Odyssey project, said THEMIS helps the research team learn new knowledge about Mars. It also helps map the surface of Mars in detail.

Image of sand dunes on Mars taken in 2009 by MRO. (Photo: NASA).

Previously, NASA has shared color-processed images of sand dunes on Mars, such as a 2009 photo taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) . The color of the image is manipulated to highlight details such as the tops of sand dunes and ripples created by the blowing wind.

The latest green sand dune image is a combination of photos taken from December 2002 to November 2004. This is part of a set of photos published by NASA on the 20th anniversary of the Odyssey orbiter mission.

On April 7, 2001, Odyssey was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, entering Mars orbit in October of the same year. Currently, Odyssey is the longest-running spacecraft on Mars in history.