Protonilus Mensae (Mars)
Data as of 2026-10-23
What it is
- Type
- Mensa, mensae
- IAU definition
A flat-topped prominence with cliff-like edges
- Diameter
- 1,034 km, 31 % of the radius of its body
- Centre
- 43.87° N, 48.86° east (planetocentric latitude, east longitude from 0 to 360°, the IAU convention)
- Name adopted
- 1973
- Origin of the name
From albedo feature at 42N, 315W.
Quoted in English, as the IAU publishes it.
In Galaxy
Opens its body in the application, the camera turned towards Protonilus Mensae.
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 | 706 | September 15, 1997 | June 30, 2001 |
| Mars Global Surveyor · Mars Orbiter Camera | 16,643 | March 30, 1998 | October 16, 2006 |
| 2001 Mars Odyssey Orbiter · Thermal Emission Imaging System | 26,681 | February 20, 2002 | November 26, 2025 |
| ESA's Mars Express · Planetary Fourier Spectrometer | 1,906 | March 22, 2004 | December 16, 2018 |
| ESA's Mars Express · Observatoire Mineralogie, Eau, Glaces, Activite | 652 | April 12, 2004 | January 9, 2024 |
| ESA's Mars Express · High Resolution Stereo Camera | 812 | January 5, 2005 | May 7, 2025 |
| ESA's Mars Express · Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionsphere Sounding | 3,781 | July 7, 2005 | March 6, 2022 |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter · Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars | 26,232 | September 30, 2006 | May 4, 2022 |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter · High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment | 1,881 | September 30, 2006 | July 29, 2026 |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter · Context Camera | 1,298 | November 19, 2006 | May 17, 2026 |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter · Shallow Radar | 6,474 | December 8, 2006 | February 9, 2026 |
| ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter · Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System | 1,897 | April 30, 2018 | December 20, 2024 |
| Viking Orbiter 1 and 2 · Visual Imaging Subsystem Camera A/B | 724 | 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/4852
Type definitions: IAU Descriptor Terms, read on October 17, 2026. https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/DescriptorTerms