Because it’s that time of year, the European Space Agency (ESA) has provided us with a seasonal image of Mars — an angel and a heart. These formations were spotted by ESA’s Mars Express near Mars’ south pole back in November.

On a less whimsical note, the red in these images is caused by the composition of the sand dunes — namely sands that have a lot of dark, rock-forming minerals such as pyroxene and olivine. And since it’s summer on Mars, the amount of polar ice is at its lowest, revealing all that gorgeous dark red sand.

There’s even more cool science involved here! The angel’s hand may be a sublimation pit where the ice has undergone rapid sublimation and left a divot on the surface. The halo and head are an impact crater. And while the formation of the heart is something of a mystery, scientists think it may have existed deeper below the surface in layers of material formed by ancient volcanic activity and been revealed by erosion over time.

Also really interesting is the dark patch of crisscrossed lines off to the left side of the image. Those are made by dust devils. So we have something for everyone in this image: love, hope, and a little devilish work. Happy holidays, everyone!

More Information

ESA press release