Hellas Basin - Mars Express
Mars Express view of the Hellas Basin on December 20, 2015. This image was made from a two color (blue/green) observation of hazes in the atmosphere.
This image captures a large storm swirling inside the basin. This image was taken during local winter. Large swaths of the basin and some craters on its northern rim are covered in hoarfrost. These had yet to bake off during the short day at these deep southern latitudes.
An interesting high-altitude atmospheric feature can be seen at right. This apparent cloud was only visible in the blue filter image. It could be a thin northern extension of the polar hood, a deck of high-altitude ice clouds that form over the poles.
This image was taken on Mars Express' 16,173rd orbit around the red planet.
Image Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin/J. Cowart, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO