Aurorae Chaos (Mars)
Data as of 2026-10-23
What it is
- Type
- Chaos, chaoses
- IAU definition
Distinctive area of broken terrain
- Diameter
- 713.9 km, 21 % of the radius of its body
- Centre
- 8.47° S, 325.19° east (planetocentric latitude, east longitude from 0 to 360°, the IAU convention)
- Name adopted
- 1991
- Origin of the name
Classical albedo name.
Quoted in English, as the IAU publishes it.
In Galaxy
Opens its body in the application, the camera turned towards Aurorae Chaos.
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 | 338 | September 15, 1997 | June 30, 2001 |
| Mars Global Surveyor · Mars Orbiter Camera | 8,263 | September 21, 1997 | October 17, 2006 |
| 2001 Mars Odyssey Orbiter · Thermal Emission Imaging System | 12,611 | February 22, 2002 | November 28, 2025 |
| ESA's Mars Express · Observatoire Mineralogie, Eau, Glaces, Activite | 830 | January 14, 2004 | December 31, 2023 |
| ESA's Mars Express · High Resolution Stereo Camera | 559 | January 14, 2004 | September 11, 2024 |
| ESA's Mars Express · Planetary Fourier Spectrometer | 992 | April 13, 2004 | October 29, 2018 |
| ESA's Mars Express · Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionsphere Sounding | 1,822 | July 28, 2005 | April 3, 2022 |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter · Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars | 9,042 | November 9, 2006 | April 27, 2022 |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter · High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment | 501 | December 14, 2006 | July 27, 2026 |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter · Context Camera | 466 | December 14, 2006 | May 27, 2026 |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter · Shallow Radar | 1,409 | July 19, 2010 | December 5, 2025 |
| ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter · Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System | 789 | October 24, 2018 | December 20, 2024 |
| Viking Orbiter 1 and 2 · Visual Imaging Subsystem Camera A/B | 525 | 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/475
Type definitions: IAU Descriptor Terms, read on October 17, 2026. https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/DescriptorTerms