Noctis Fossae (Mars)
Data as of 2026-10-23
What it is
- Type
- Fossa, fossae
- IAU definition
Long, narrow depression
- Diameter
- 712.7 km, 21 % of the radius of its body
- Centre
- 2.69° S, 261.15° east (planetocentric latitude, east longitude from 0 to 360°, the IAU convention)
- Name adopted
- 1985
- Origin of the name
Classical albedo feature at 10S, 96W.
Quoted in English, as the IAU publishes it.
In Galaxy
Opens its body in the application, the camera turned towards Noctis 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 | 364 | September 15, 1997 | June 30, 2001 |
| Mars Global Surveyor · Mars Orbiter Camera | 10,733 | September 19, 1997 | October 17, 2006 |
| 2001 Mars Odyssey Orbiter · Thermal Emission Imaging System | 13,150 | March 18, 2002 | November 29, 2025 |
| ESA's Mars Express · High Resolution Stereo Camera | 617 | January 13, 2004 | March 8, 2026 |
| ESA's Mars Express · Planetary Fourier Spectrometer | 994 | January 31, 2004 | December 31, 2018 |
| ESA's Mars Express · Observatoire Mineralogie, Eau, Glaces, Activite | 626 | January 31, 2004 | January 12, 2024 |
| ESA's Mars Express · Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionsphere Sounding | 1,895 | July 21, 2005 | April 19, 2022 |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter · Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars | 9,055 | September 30, 2006 | April 29, 2022 |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter · Context Camera | 657 | November 12, 2006 | May 25, 2026 |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter · High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment | 695 | November 17, 2006 | June 10, 2026 |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter · Shallow Radar | 1,999 | October 7, 2007 | June 27, 2025 |
| ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter · Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System | 697 | June 1, 2018 | December 20, 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/4323
Type definitions: IAU Descriptor Terms, read on October 17, 2026. https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/DescriptorTerms