ESA shares stunning pictures of landslide on Mars captured by ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter

The European Space Agency (ESA) on Sunday shared stunning pictures of a "Martian landslide" that was captured by its Exo Mars Trace Gas Orbiter. As per information from ESA's official website, the images were snapped on 13 April 2021 when a landslide occurred at the rim of a 35km wide crater in the Aeolis region of Mars.

"A 5 km-long landslide dominates this scene, captured by the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter on 13 April 2021. The landslide has occurred at the rim of a 35 km wide crater in the Aeolis region of Mars (151.88°E/27.38°S)," ESA wrote on Instagram.

The mesmerising pictures of the landslide were shared on ESA's social media handle on Instagram. The images have sparked curiosity among many and have left others awestruck. Since the launch of the Exo Mars Trace Gas Orbiter, the ESA has gathered many such extraordinary images that have surprised viewers on the internet. One such event is the current "Martian landslide." Take a look:

What caused the landslide?

ESA did not leave its audience to interpret the planetary activity. The space agency thoroughly explained the process of the Mars landslide for the viewers. "Landslides are geomorphological processes occurring under specific environmental conditions. On Mars as on Earth, they come in various shapes and sizes, and Earth analogues are used to understand similar processes seen on planetary bodies," it wrote.

Delving deeper into the impact of craters ESA added, "For this particular landslide the failure area, from where the material collapsed, is slightly out of frame, although the transport and deposit zones show great details such as longitudinal striations and flow ridges." Explaining how "impact craters" help to determine the date and time of the geographical events ESA added, "The impact craters on the lobe indicates that this is not a recent event, but it remains a challenge to accurately date its formation."

TGO arrived at Mars in 2016 and began its full science mission in 2018. "The spacecraft is not only returning spectacular images, but also providing the best ever inventory of the planet’s atmospheric gases, and mapping the planet’s surface for water-rich locations," ESA mentioned. Talking about the Orbiter's future missions ESA shared, "It will also provide data relay services for the second ExoMars mission comprising the Rosalind Franklin rover and Kazachok platform when it arrives on Mars in 2023.

"The bluish-gold pictures shared by the Space Agency left the netizens amazed. The post shared on Sunday garnered over 22k likes and counting. While some gawked at them, many expressed their curiosity and showed their inquisitive side.

(With inputs from @ESA/Instagram, Image: @ESA/Instagram)