Posted by tourdemars to General News at August 27, 2010 11:37 PM

Photos just released by the European Space Agency give an up-close look at the strange, elongated Martian crater known as Orcus Patera. The crater lies near the equator in Mars' eastern hemisphere, between the volcanoes Elysium Mons and Olympus Mons. It's big, measuring 380 km (236 miles) long, 140 km (87 miles) wide and about 2.3 km (1.5 miles) from rim to floor.