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Mars (Hubble)

Telescope image of an orange spherical object in space.

Hubble took this photo of Mars when the planet was 50 million miles from Earth, during its last opposition in 2016. The photo reveals details as small as 20 to 30 miles across.

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.

    Data were provided by the HST proposal 14499 taken by the Hubble Heritage Team: Z. Levay (STScI PI)

  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    WFC3/UVIS
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    May 12, 2016
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F275W (275nm), F410M (410nm), F502N (502nm), and F673N (673nm)
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Mars
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Planet
  • Release Date
    February 20, 2018
  • Science Release
    NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to Reveal Secrets of the Red Planet
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Image: NASA, ESA, Zoltan Levay (STScI)

Downloads

  • Full Res (For Print), 2000 × 2000
    tif (1.46 MB)
  • Full Res (For Display), 2000 × 2000
    png (1.46 MB)
Telescope image of an orange spherical object in space.
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

This image is a composite of separate exposures acquired by the WFC3/UVIS instrument. Several filters were used to sample various wavelengths. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are:Purple: F275W (275nm)Blue: F410M (410nm)Green: F502N (502nm)Red: F673N (673nm)

Related Images & Videos

Illustration of ball-and-stick models of water molecules

Water Escaping from Mars

Hydrogen atoms escape from the Mars upper atmosphere, while water containing heavy hydrogen (deuterium) remains trapped on the planet. The escape of hydrogen helped to turn Mars from a wet planet 4.5 billion years ago into a dry world today.

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Details

Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

Image Credit

NASA, ESA, Zoltan Levay (STScI)

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