February 4, 2012

A picture of Syrtis Major taken by the Mars Express Orbiter (Image ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum))

Discovered in 1659, Syrtis Major is a region of Mars with an area of ​​about 1,300×1,500 km (about 930×630 miles), thus about half of Europe. Initially, they thought it was a sea but today we know that this is a region of volcanic origin. Now the ESA Mars Express spacecraft has revealed new details of Syrtis Major.