Posted on 10/29/2025 7:57:39 PM PDT by Red Badger
© Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizon
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A blue dune captured by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has raised new questions about wind, sediment, and geological diversity on the Red Planet. Though the coloring is artificially enhanced, the unique features of this formation, located in two distinct craters, are anything but ordinary.
NASA scientists recently released two detailed images taken by the MRO’s HiRISE camera, showing separate dune fields inside Lyot Crater and Gamboa Crater. These images don’t just offer stunning visuals; they open a rare window into the complex interactions between Martian winds and surface materials. The unusually shaped and textured dunes stand out for their composition, ripple patterns, and orientation—factors that may help reveal how Mars’ surface evolved over time.
The visual contrast seen in these images is the result of using false-color techniques to highlight material differences invisible to the naked eye.
Dune Diversity In Lyot Crater
In a section of Lyot Crater, NASA’s orbiter documented a classic field of barchan dunes, crescent-shaped formations commonly produced by consistent wind patterns. But just to the south of this group, the MRO revealed a single, large dune with a markedly more complex structure and color. While most of the surrounding sand formations display a consistent tone, this particular dune appears in shades of turquoise blue, suggesting a variation in material properties.
NASA explains that the blue hue does not indicate the dune is actually blue. Instead, the coloring results from enhanced imaging that highlights finer particles or a distinct chemical composition. This material difference may point to a different origin or process of formation. The image is part of a stereo pair processed by the University of Arizona, which operates the HiRISE camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. 
A Field Of Dunes In Lyot Crater - The dune field located inside Lyot Crater. Credit: HiRISE
Wind’s Signature In Gamboa Crater
Thousands of kilometers away in Gamboa Crater, another false-color image captured by MRO uncovers an equally fascinating terrain. According to the space agency statement reported by Space.com, the photograph reveals tiny ripples, spaced only a few feet apart, that line the tops of larger dunes. These micro-patterns cluster into larger sand waves measuring approximately 30 feet (9 meters) from crest to crest.
The image also shows a network of Transverse Aeolian Ridges (TARs), bright, roughly parallel features composed of coarse sand. NASA notes that TARs appear brighter blue in enhanced color on one side of the image, likely due to ongoing movement driven by wind. This activity could be sweeping away darker surface dust, making the features appear cleaner and more reflective. By observing the orientation and spacing of these ridges, scientists can deduce the historical wind directions that shaped them.
An artificially colored image depicting a dune field in the Gamboa Crater region of Mars. credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.
A Closer Look At Mars, Thanks To MRO
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been circling the Red Planet for over sixteen years, and its contributions show no sign of slowing down. Initially launched to search for signs of ancient water, the spacecraft has long since surpassed its original goal. Today, it doubles as a communications hub for rovers like Perseverance and Curiosity, while still conducting its own scientific surveys from orbit.
As NASA points out, the onboard HiRISE camera, developed by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. and operated by the University of Arizona, has become essential in selecting landing sites, tracking surface evolution, and detecting mineral traces.
Images from areas such as Lyot and Gamboa Crater remain central to this ongoing effort, providing valuable insight into Mars’ atmospheric history and the ways in which wind, dust, and sediment have sculpted its surface through time.
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No, it’s already got a name, Lady Diana..............
Okay, I’ll stop now.
It does in most cities.............
And by the way, she closely resembles the Sea Hag from Popeye comic books:
You’re only saying that because NASA, like Lady Diana, used color enhancement.
Sea Hag is more attractive.
I agree with you. DeLauro is another one of those senile citizens taking up space in Congress. I'm 78. She's 82, and has been in Congress since 1991...34 years. That's long enough. Time for Congressional term limits. It needs to be put up as a National Referendum.
Yo, listen up here’s a story
About a little guy
That lives in a blue world
And all day and all night
And everything he sees is just blue
Like him inside and outside
Blue his house
With a blue little window
And a blue corvette
And everything is blue for him
And himself and everybody around
Cause he ain’t got nobody to listen to
I’m blue
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
I’m blue
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Well, that’s kind of false advertising then to say it’s a blue dune.
Looks like those awful blue bottle jellyfish that wash up on the beach.
3I/ATLAS with crew of Guild of Navigators, passing by to harvest some Spice.
The first photo looks like it’s of a blue washcloth. Must have been left behind by the astronauts. Too bad Sheila Jackson Lee isn’t here to learn that she has been vindicated.
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