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A shadowy presence is spreading across the surface of Mars.
New images released by the European Space Agency that were taken by its Mars Express orbiter show a rapid transformation taking place in the planet’s Utopia Planitia basin, which scientists believe was once the site of an ancient ocean.
Today, it’s a veritable battleground between the forces of light and dark.
That’s only being slightly hyperbolic. In one half of a composite image taken with the mission’s High Resolution Stereo Camera is the Red Planet’s traditionally light colored, sandy beige surface. In the other half, the landscape is a dark reddish-brown, as if corrupted by a horrific blight.
Mars Express has captured a blanket of dark ash creeping across the Red Planet.
It has spread hundreds of kilometres in less than 50 years.
1/4 pic.twitter.com/vxz8cIvsGM — ESA Science (@esascience) April 15, 2026
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