Acheron Fossae (Mars)
Data as of 2026-10-23
What it is
- Type
- Fossa, fossae
- IAU definition
Long, narrow depression
- Diameter
- 703.1 km, 21 % of the radius of its body
- Centre
- 38.27° N, 224.98° east (planetocentric latitude, east longitude from 0 to 360°, the IAU convention)
- Name adopted
- 1979
- Origin of the name
From classical albedo feature at 35N, 140W.
Quoted in English, as the IAU publishes it.
In Galaxy
Opens its body in the application, the camera turned towards Acheron Fossae.
Observed by
Instruments whose footprint touches this formation, counted by the PDS Orbital Data Explorer (data frozen on September 29, 2026). A footprint that touches it is not a study of it.
| Mission and instrument | Products | First | Last |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mars Global Surveyor · Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter | 368 | September 15, 1997 | June 30, 2001 |
| Mars Global Surveyor · Mars Orbiter Camera | 14,749 | October 20, 1997 | October 17, 2006 |
| 2001 Mars Odyssey Orbiter · Thermal Emission Imaging System | 11,315 | February 19, 2002 | November 14, 2025 |
| ESA's Mars Express · Planetary Fourier Spectrometer | 1,127 | January 21, 2004 | November 24, 2018 |
| ESA's Mars Express · High Resolution Stereo Camera | 641 | January 21, 2004 | September 17, 2025 |
| ESA's Mars Express · Observatoire Mineralogie, Eau, Glaces, Activite | 406 | January 21, 2004 | January 4, 2024 |
| ESA's Mars Express · Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionsphere Sounding | 2,064 | July 28, 2005 | February 19, 2022 |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter · Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars | 10,024 | November 10, 2006 | April 20, 2022 |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter · Context Camera | 609 | November 28, 2006 | May 13, 2026 |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter · High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment | 632 | December 3, 2006 | July 9, 2026 |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter · Shallow Radar | 1,580 | December 6, 2006 | December 11, 2025 |
| ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter · Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System | 1,051 | April 15, 2018 | December 12, 2024 |
| Viking Orbiter 1 and 2 · Visual Imaging Subsystem Camera A/B | 534 | no date published | no date published |
Sources
International Astronomical Union Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature, Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, read on October 23, 2026. Feature page: https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/35
Type definitions: IAU Descriptor Terms, read on October 17, 2026. https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/DescriptorTerms