10 Amazing 3-D Views from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

By Nancy Atkinson - February 12, 2013 05:52 PM UTC | Planetary Science

These pictures require you to grab the 3-D glasses you have handy by your desk (if you don't have a pair,

here's some great options

for buying some) and get a "you-are-there" experience from the

HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Here, you can virtually tumble down crater walls, hover over steep cliffs, and see how layered bedrock appears from above.

Our lead image is of an area referred to as "Inca City," the informal name given by Mariner 9 scientists in 1972 to a

set of intersecting, rectilinear ridges

, which some people thought looked like structures or streets. Even back then scientists thought they might be dunes, but that didn't keep people from going off the deep end about this region. But the power of HiRISE has revealed these truly are dunes, and in this image you can see some of the seasonal processes as the region goes from winter to spring. As the carbon dioxide frost and ice on the dunes warms, small areas warm and sublimate (turn from solid to gas) faster, creating a speckled surface.

Enjoy more 3-D views below. All images link directly to the HiRISE site where you can see other versions and get more info about each image.

See all the HiRISE anaglyphs that are available here.

[caption id="attachment_99902" align="aligncenter" width="497"]

Fresh 4-Kilometer Rayed Crater Northeast of Chimbote Crater. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_99903" align="aligncenter" width="502"]

Cliff with Columnar Jointing. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_99904" align="aligncenter" width="490"]

Central Uplift of a Large Impact Crater. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_99905" align="aligncenter" width="478"]

Buttes and craters: Compositional Diversity in Northern Hellas Region. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_99901" align="aligncenter" width="502"]

Well-Preserved 4-Kilometer impact Crater. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_99906" align="aligncenter" width="505"]

Flow Boundary in Elysium Planitia. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_99907" align="aligncenter" width="580"]

A fissure on Mars named Cerberus Fossae. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_99908" align="aligncenter" width="514"]

Possible Gullies in Graben. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona. [/caption]

[caption id="attachment_99909" align="aligncenter" width="580"]

Layered Bedrock on Crater Floor. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona. [/caption]

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com