Tractus Catena (Mars)
Data as of 2026-10-23
What it is
- Type
- Catena, catenae
- IAU definition
Chain of craters
- Diameter
- 910.6 km, 27 % of the radius of its body
- Centre
- 27° N, 257.21° 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 Tractus Catena.
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 | 494 | September 15, 1997 | June 30, 2001 |
| Mars Global Surveyor · Mars Orbiter Camera | 13,356 | October 23, 1997 | October 17, 2006 |
| 2001 Mars Odyssey Orbiter · Thermal Emission Imaging System | 16,500 | February 23, 2002 | November 26, 2025 |
| ESA's Mars Express · Planetary Fourier Spectrometer | 1,410 | January 31, 2004 | December 31, 2018 |
| ESA's Mars Express · Observatoire Mineralogie, Eau, Glaces, Activite | 808 | January 31, 2004 | January 14, 2024 |
| ESA's Mars Express · High Resolution Stereo Camera | 754 | July 26, 2004 | March 8, 2026 |
| ESA's Mars Express · Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionsphere Sounding | 2,672 | July 24, 2005 | March 29, 2022 |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter · Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars | 14,346 | September 30, 2006 | April 20, 2022 |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter · Context Camera | 983 | November 10, 2006 | May 29, 2026 |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter · Shallow Radar | 1,881 | December 7, 2006 | December 18, 2025 |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter · High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment | 817 | January 4, 2007 | May 18, 2026 |
| ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter · Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System | 1,092 | August 14, 2018 | December 17, 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/6074
Type definitions: IAU Descriptor Terms, read on October 17, 2026. https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/DescriptorTerms