UA Releases New Breathtaking Images of Deepest Canyon in Solar System

Illustration of a view over the rim of a small crater on Mars. AFP
Illustration of a view over the rim of a small crater on Mars. AFP
TT
20

UA Releases New Breathtaking Images of Deepest Canyon in Solar System

Illustration of a view over the rim of a small crater on Mars. AFP
Illustration of a view over the rim of a small crater on Mars. AFP

Scientists from the University of Arizona (UA) have released on Monday a new batch of images described as "breathtaking" showing Mars' Valles Marineris, known as the largest and deepest canyon in the solar system.

Using an incredibly high-resolution camera called HiRISE (short for High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, UA scientists have been taking close-up shots of the planet's strangest features in an attempt to understand how it was formed.

This gash in the bedrock of Mars is nearly 10 times as long as Earth's Grand Canyon and three times deeper, making it the largest canyon in the solar system, said UA scientists.

According to a report by the Live Science website, unlike Earth's Grand Canyon, Valles Marineris probably wasn't carved out by billions of years of rushing water; the Red Planet is too hot and dry to have ever accommodated a river large enough to slash through the crust like that.

The European Space Agency (ESA) explained that a majority of the canyon probably cracked open billions of years earlier, when a nearby super-group of volcanoes known as the Tharsis region was first thrusting out of the Martian soil. As magma bubbled up beneath these monster volcanoes (which include Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system), the planet's crust easily could have stretched, ripped and finally collapsed into the troughs and valleys that make up Valles Marineris today.

Evidence suggests that subsequent landslides, magma flows and, even some ancient rivers probably contributed to the canyon's continued erosion. Further analysis of high-resolution photos like these will help solve the puzzling origin story of the solar system's grandest canyon.

The Valles Marineris was discovered in 1971 with the Mariner 9 probe that launched on May 30, 1971 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and reached Mars on November 13 in the same year. The valley, which runs along the Martian equator, was named after the mission that discovered it.



Kate, Princess of Wales, to Present Women's Singles Trophy at Wimbledon

Britain’s Kate, Princess of Wales awaits the arrival of France’s President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron in Windsor, England, Tuesday July 8, 2025, on the first day of a three-day state visit to Britain. (Chris Jackson/Pool via AP)
Britain’s Kate, Princess of Wales awaits the arrival of France’s President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron in Windsor, England, Tuesday July 8, 2025, on the first day of a three-day state visit to Britain. (Chris Jackson/Pool via AP)
TT
20

Kate, Princess of Wales, to Present Women's Singles Trophy at Wimbledon

Britain’s Kate, Princess of Wales awaits the arrival of France’s President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron in Windsor, England, Tuesday July 8, 2025, on the first day of a three-day state visit to Britain. (Chris Jackson/Pool via AP)
Britain’s Kate, Princess of Wales awaits the arrival of France’s President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron in Windsor, England, Tuesday July 8, 2025, on the first day of a three-day state visit to Britain. (Chris Jackson/Pool via AP)

Kate, the Princess of Wales, is set to present the trophy to the winner of the women's singles final at Wimbledon on Saturday after opting not to attend the match last year while she was recovering from cancer.

The All England Club said Kate, the wife of Prince William, will be back in the Royal Box on Center Court for the match between eighth-seeded Iga Swiatek and No. 13 Amanda Anisimova. She will then take part in the on-court trophy presentation, The AP news reported.

Kate has been the patron of the All England Club since 2016 and has regularly attended the men's and women's finals. However, she was not there when Barbora Krejcikova defeated Jasmine Paolini for the women's title last year.

She did hand the trophy to Carlos Alcaraz after his victory over Novak Djokovic in the men's final, when she made only her second public appearance since announcing she was diagnosed with cancer.

She has been gradually returning to public duties since since announcing last fall that she had completed chemotherapy, and took part in welcoming French President Emmanuel Macron during his state visit to Britain this week.