Look: 14 most stunning Mars images ever taken

Science Smile for the orbiter! by Jennifer Walter July 30, 2021 xponentialdesign via Giphy

NASA via Giphy In the world of space exploration, all eyes are on the Red Planet.

Xinhua News Agency/Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images NASA’s Perseverance and Curiosity and the CNSA’s Zhurong rover are currently on Mars, collecting data, samples, and images. Meanwhile, the ESA’s Mars Express orbiter is capturing stunning shots from above the planet.

Shutterstock Meanwhile, on Earth, billionaires like Elon Musk still envision the Mars as a future home for human civilizations.

Here are 14 images that capture Mars in all its glory: ESA via Wikimedia Commons

14. The view from Mars’ orbit, taken by Viking 1 in 1980. NASA/JPL

NASA/JPL 13. This is an aerial view of Olympus Mons , the largest volcano on Mars at 69,000 feet tall, captured by Viking 1 in 1978. It’s also the largest volcano we’ve discovered in the whole Solar System.

12. Perseverance took its first full-color shot of the Martian surface in February 2021. NASA/JPL/Caltech

11: Throwback! This was the first photo of the surface of Mars ever taken. It was captured in 1976 by the Viking 1 lander. NASA/JPL

10. The Jezero Crater ESA’s Mars Express orbiter captured this shot in 2020. Now, Perseverance is probing the area for signs of ancient microbial life. ESA/DLR/FU-Berlin

9. Ice tops the north pole of Mars in a dramatic spiral pattern, pieced together by images taken by Mars Express and shared in 2017. ESA/DLR/FU Berlin

8. Selfie! Curiosity snapped this wide-angle portrait while touring the Red Planet in 2018. NASA/JPL

ESA/DLR/FU Berlin 7. The stunning ice-filled Korolev crater is located in the northern lowlands of Mars, as spotted by Mars Express in 2018.

6. I heart Mars: This deep red, heart-shaped formation was snapped by Mars Express near the planet’s south pole in 2020. ESA/DLR/FU Berlin

5. This is an orbital view from Mars Express of the Hebes Chasma mesa shared in 2013. The region houses layers of rock and debris. ESA/DLR/FU Berlin

4. Close-Up Perseverance snapped a zoomed-in shot of Mars’ rocky surface in July 2021. NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/IRAP

3. It might look like something squishy, but this is actually an orbital shot of Mars’ dunes, taken by NASA’s Reconnaissance Orbiter and shared in 2016. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

2. Dust storms are a regular part of life on Mars. In 2018, NASA’s Curiosity rover captured several photos of the growing haze. NASA

1. A sunset on Mars, captured in 2005 by NASA’s Spirit rover. NASA/JPL/Texas A&M/Cornell

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Look: 14 most stunning Mars images ever taken

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