Europa Clipper, en route to the Jupiter system to investigate the icy moon Europa, swung by Mars on March 1, 2025, to use the planet's gravity to help shape the spacecraft's trajectory. The mission took the opportunity to capture to capture infrared images of the Red Planet using the orbiter's Europa Thermal Imaging System (E-THEMIS) to calibrate the instrument.

This picture is a composite of several images captured by E-THEMIS, showing Mars' surface temperatures from about a million miles (1.6 million kilometers) away. Bright regions are relatively warm, with temperatures of about 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius). Darker areas are colder. The darkest region at the top is the northern polar cap and is about minus 190 F (minus 125 C).

The temperature variations reflect the time of day on Mars, which was noon, with the center of the globe warmest because the Sun was shining directly onto the planet, near the equator, from behind Europa Clipper. Other variations reflect different surface features, with the fine-grained dust at the region near the equator being warm and coarser, rockier materials staying cooler.

The instrument captured the images data in long-wave infrared wavelengths of about 7 to 14 micrometers.

Europa Clipper launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 14, 2024, and will arrive at the Jupiter system in 2030 to conduct about 50 flybys of Europa. The mission's main science goal is to determine whether there are places below Europa's surface that could support life. The mission's three main science objectives are to determine the thickness of the moon's icy shell and its surface interactions with the ocean below, to investigate its composition, and to characterize its geology. The mission's detailed exploration of Europa will help scientists better understand the astrobiological potential for habitable worlds beyond our planet.

For more information about Europa and Europa Clipper, go to:

europa.nasa.gov