The Europa Clipper spacecraft captures impressive thermal images of Mars.

      NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft is currently on its extended journey through the solar system, making its way to Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa. The mission aims to determine if Europa could have ever supported life; however, as it approaches its destination, it is also conducting studies closer to home.

      Recently, NASA scientists employed Europa Clipper’s instruments to gather data on Mars, as the spacecraft passed within a mere 550 miles of the red planet’s surface on March 1. The spacecraft utilized Mars' gravity to gain a speed boost, providing an opportunity for some testing along the way.

      This image of Mars is a composite of multiple images taken by Europa Clipper’s thermal imager on March 1. The bright areas indicate relatively warm temperatures of around 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius), while the darker regions are colder. The darkest area at the top represents the northern polar cap, with temperatures around minus 190 F (minus 125 C). NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

      The team tested one of Clipper’s onboard instruments, an infrared camera known as the Europa Thermal Imaging System (E-THEMIS), capturing various images of Mars during its flyby. This camera measures temperature variations across different regions and will be instrumental in analyzing areas on Europa’s surface that exhibit ridges and fractures, believed to be created by water emerging from the subsurface ocean and breaking through the icy exterior.

      Phil Christensen of Arizona State University and principal investigator of E-THEMIS stated, “We aim to measure the temperature of those features. If Europa is highly active, those fractures will be warmer than the surrounding ice where the ocean is close to the surface. Conversely, if water erupted onto the surface centuries or millennia ago, those areas might still retain warmth.”

      The E-THEMIS images of Mars display temperatures across the planet, with the equator showcasing the warmest regions and the polar ice caps being the coldest. A total of one thousand grayscale images were collected and combined to produce a color composite representing temperature variations.

      This depiction of Mars is a colorized composite of several images taken by Europa Clipper’s thermal imager. Warmer colors indicate higher temperatures; red areas are around 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius), whereas purple regions are approximately minus 190 F (minus 125 C). NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

      These images, aside from revealing Martian features, also served as an opportunity to test the instrument against known data and ensure all onboard systems, including the radar instrument, functioned properly.

      Christensen mentioned, “We wanted no surprises in these new images. The aim was to capture imagery of a planetary body we are well familiar with and ensure the dataset aligns accurately with 20 years of instruments observing Mars.”

      With everything operating smoothly, Clipper will continue its journey, with an expected arrival at Jupiter in 2030.

      Georgina has been the space writer at Digital Trends for six years, focusing on human space exploration and planetary subjects.

      Stunning imagery of Jupiter’s moon Europa, showcasing its floating icy shell, was captured by the JunoCam instrument aboard NASA’s Juno spacecraft during a close flyby on September 29, 2022. The image displays the fractures, ridges, and bands that traverse the moon’s surface. Image data: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS. Image processing: Björn Jónsson (CC BY 3.0)

      NASA's Juno mission actively investigates not only the planet Jupiter, known for its peculiar weather and intense magnetic field, but also several of its icy moons, including the captivating Europa. Frequently a focal point for habitability studies, Europa is particularly interesting as a potential life-hosting body due to its presumed liquid water ocean, although this ocean lies beneath a thick icy crust measuring up to 15 miles. Juno has captured high-definition images of Europa's surface, and scientists have recently utilized this data to identify fractures and other characteristics across the icy shell.

      It has been exactly 20 years since a Mars rover produced this groundbreaking image. This image represents the first photograph of Earth taken from the surface of another planet and was captured by NASA's Mars rover, Spirit, just one hour before sunrise on the 63rd Martian day, or sol, of its mission in 2004. NASA/JPL/Cornell/Texas AM

      Twenty years ago, on March 8, a NASA Mars rover made history by capturing the first image of Earth from the surface of another planet.

      A recent image from a NASA orbiter presents an unusual perspective of Mars, showcasing the planet's horizon complete with clouds. This view is reminiscent of what astronauts see of Earth from the International Space Station, depicting how Mars would appear from a similar viewpoint. The image was taken by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft, which has been in orbit around the planet since 2001. Over its two decades of operation, the orbiter has made significant discoveries, including