These 'metallic' dunes on Mars look like sci-fi. What are they really?
New high-resolution images from the Mars Express probe reveal 100-meter-high 'metallic' waves located within the Kaiser Crater.
📍 Where it landed
The Mars Express probe captured images of 100-meter-high metallic waves located in the Kaiser Crater. These features were documented via topographic maps and 3D imagery of the crater floor.
The story quieted without a definitive conclusion in the coverage.
Epilogue added 42d ago, after coverage quieted.
The brief
The Mars Express probe has captured detailed images and a 3D topographic map of the Kaiser Crater in the Southern Highlands of Mars. These images show wave-like formations reaching 100 meters in height, which have been described as 'metallic' in appearance.
Coverage from the European Space Agency, Phys.org, and IFLScience emphasizes the visual nature of these formations, while Orbital Today notes that they are not actually metal. UA.NEWS and Space further highlight the scale and sci-fi aesthetic of the dunes.
Further analysis of these 'metallic' waves on ancient Mars is expected as the data from the Mars Express probe is processed.
Synthesized by Newsylist from the headlines below under a strict no-invention contract. ✓ fact-checked: all claims supported by sources Updated 42d ago.
🌍 Language by language
Newsylist detected this story across 2 language editions of the world's news.
Detected by matching proper nouns and figures that survive translation. Times reflect when each edition's coverage was first indexed.
Quick answers
Where on Mars were these dunes found?
They are located in the Kaiser Crater within Mars's Southern Highlands.
How large are these formations?
The waves are reported to be 100 meters high.
Which mission captured the images?
The images were captured by the Mars Express probe.
The reporting (10)
- Metal Dunes (Not) On Mars! Orbital Today · 45d ago
- High-Resolution Images Reveal Metallic Sand Dunes on Mars from Mars Express Probe Daily Beirut · 45d ago
- Metallic waves on ancient Mars Phys.org · 45d ago
- Topographic map of Kaiser Crater on Mars European Space Agency · 45d ago
- The floor of Mars’s Kaiser Crater from above European Space Agency · 45d ago
- Mars Express captured clear images of 100-meter-high waves in a crater on Mars UA.NEWS · 45d ago
- Metallic waves on ancient Mars Phys.org · 45d ago
- Mars’s Kaiser Crater in 3D European Space Agency · 45d ago
- Mars Express Transmits Gorgeous Images Of 100-Meter "Metallic" Waves In Mars's Southern Highlands IFLScience · 45d ago
- These 'metallic' dunes on Mars look like sci-fi. What are they really? Space · 45d ago broke it first
Velocity
How fast coverage is spreading — measured hourly from article rate × source diversity. How this works →
People, places & organizations
Topics
Related trends
Musk, Money and Mars
Wall Street and critics scrutinize financial plans for SpaceX and interplanetary travel initiatives.
NASA's Psyche mission delivers Mars flyby data, time-lapse video
NASA's Psyche mission has released new imagery, time-lapse video, and sensor data captured during its recent flyby of Mars.
Mars Wrigley leaving Newark, cutting 307 jobs (updated)
Mars Wrigley is ending its 86-year presence in Newark, resulting in the loss of 307 jobs.
Your Tarot Horoscope Is Here With A Reading For Saturday, July 18
Astrological guidance for July 18, 2026, focuses on planetary alignments and specific opportunities for select zodiac signs.
NASA's curiosity rover spots mysterious honeycomb pattern on Mars, leaving scientists puzzled over its or
NASA's Perseverance rover has identified a unique honeycomb geological pattern and signs of an ancient, massive asteroid impact on the Martian surface.
NASA's Psyche spacecraft, on its way to a metal-rich asteroid, used Mars as a gravitational slingshot in May 2026, skimming just 2,800 miles above the planet to gain the speed it needed
NASA's Psyche spacecraft has completed a high-speed Mars flyby to accelerate toward a metal-rich asteroid potentially worth quadrillions of dollars.