Sacra Fossae (Mars)
Data as of 2026-10-23
What it is
- Type
- Fossa, fossae
- IAU definition
Long, narrow depression
- Diameter
- 950 km, 28 % of the radius of its body
- Centre
- 20.36° N, 290° east (planetocentric latitude, east longitude from 0 to 360°, the IAU convention)
- Name adopted
- 1976
- Origin of the name
Classical albedo feature name.
Quoted in English, as the IAU publishes it.
In Galaxy
Opens its body in the application, the camera turned towards Sacra 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 | 426 | September 15, 1997 | June 30, 2001 |
| Mars Global Surveyor · Mars Orbiter Camera | 13,805 | November 5, 1997 | October 17, 2006 |
| 2001 Mars Odyssey Orbiter · Thermal Emission Imaging System | 19,856 | February 20, 2002 | November 14, 2025 |
| ESA's Mars Express · High Resolution Stereo Camera | 652 | February 1, 2004 | October 13, 2024 |
| ESA's Mars Express · Observatoire Mineralogie, Eau, Glaces, Activite | 1,284 | March 26, 2004 | January 5, 2024 |
| ESA's Mars Express · Planetary Fourier Spectrometer | 1,536 | April 16, 2004 | December 18, 2018 |
| ESA's Mars Express · Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionsphere Sounding | 2,361 | July 26, 2005 | April 8, 2022 |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter · Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars | 18,108 | November 8, 2006 | May 7, 2022 |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter · Context Camera | 978 | November 8, 2006 | May 27, 2026 |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter · High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment | 1,101 | November 17, 2006 | July 26, 2026 |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter · Shallow Radar | 1,475 | May 27, 2007 | June 4, 2025 |
| ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter · Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System | 967 | May 18, 2018 | December 19, 2024 |
| Viking Orbiter 1 and 2 · Visual Imaging Subsystem Camera A/B | 545 | 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/5267
Type definitions: IAU Descriptor Terms, read on October 17, 2026. https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/DescriptorTerms