Spectacular Martian dunes snapped by Mars satellite

The geologic wonder of the Martian desert is teems.

A powerful camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured a brilliant image of sand dunes. The image was taken from 160 miles above the red desert, in the Tyrrhena Terra region on Mars.

Star dunes are formed inside craters when wind blows from different directions, creating a patterned landscape of intersecting, star-like formations.

NASA scientists weren't looking for these dunes, but they came across them while looking for ancient clays in the crater. The camera that captured the image is called HiRISE.

An amazing aspect of Mars that is captured in many HiRISE images is geologic diversity within a small area.

Star dunes in a crater on Mars. This dune region is over a mile wide. Credit: NASA / JPL / University of Arizona

For the past 16 years, NASA has captured images of craters, valleys, dried-up rivers, and beyond on Mars. The satellite has been up in space and away from the dust storms on Mars.

It also captures the natural world. The satellite imaged the China's Zhurong rover in the Martian desert.