【White Skin Black Thighs】

A beautiful new photo shows off Mars in a dramatic new light.

The White Skin Black ThighsEuropean Space Agency's (ESA) ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter just beamed home the amazing new image from April 15.

The photo was taken by the satellite's Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) right after the satellite moved into a new orbit about 400 kilometers above the world's surface. The lighting is what makes it really special.

SEE ALSO: A new experiment could sniff out signs of alien life on Mars and beyond

“We were really pleased to see how good this picture was, given the lighting conditions,” Antoine Pommerol, a member of the science team, said in a statement. You can see the Korolev Crater covered with ice in the planet's northern hemisphere, according to the ESA.

These kinds of photos allow scientists to get a bird's eye view of Mars' water and carbon dioxide cycles, helping them understand exactly what's going on with the planet's geology.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

The satellite itself, which arrived at Mars in 2016, is designed to sniff out gases like methane that might be indications of biology or geology on the red planet.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Scientists should be able to parse out where those trace gases come from as the mission continues.

“We are excited to finally be starting collecting data at Mars with this phenomenal spacecraft,” Håkan Svedhem, the satellite's project scientist, said in the statement. “The test images we have seen so far certainly set the bar high.”

The satellite is part of the ExoMars mission, which is focused on helping ESA piece together the history of Mars and figuring out if life exists or has ever existed there.

In 2020, the ESA is expected to launch an ExoMars lander and rover that will investigate possible life on Mars from the surface.

The 2016 mission also included a lander component, but it didn't quite go as planned: The ESA lost signal with the Schiaparelli lander as it reached the surface of Mars, and scientists now think the test lander was lost.

However, the agency claims to have gathered important data from the loss of the lander, and plans to correct any previous mistakes when trying to land in 2020.

---

Featured Video For You

---

---

• Shopping
• Entertainment
• Science
• Life
• Games
• Digital Culture
• Tech
• Deals

• The Musk of Success
• Lindsay Lohan's lawsuit against 'Grand Theft Auto V' dismissed
• Starving artist Justin Bieber's credit card was declined at Subway
• Startup raises $2.5 million to manage music rights using blockchain
• Kanye Unbound
• Sony's 2nd
• New Withings fitness watch adds heart rate sensor and notifications
• Uniqlo's biggest Southeast Asia store opens to massive crowd of eager shoppers
• Having it Both Ways
• Uniqlo's biggest Southeast Asia store opens to massive crowd of eager shoppers

• Donald Trump tried to give Tim Cook iPhone design advice
• 14 times footballers were unintentionally hilarious on Twitter
• Apple responds to people's tweets with entire commercials
• The first 'Game of Thrones' prequel series is dead at HBO
• If you own an iPhone 5, you'd better update your iOS right now
• Apple's iPhone SE 2 will come in March, analyst claims
• Jason Chaffetz and Mitch McConnell are the new 'Hardy Boys' except much worse
• 'Silicon Valley' reaches the beginning of the end in Season 6: Review
• Watch Mark Zuckerberg duck a question about including Breitbart in Facebook's News tab
• Even this Fox News anchor thinks Trump's 'ridiculous' lies have gone too far

• Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 Ti Overclocking Guide
• 'Pikmin' get their first handheld adventure next year
• How much does the iPhone's headphone jack matter to you?
• NASA's Juno spacecraft reveals Jupiter's clouds, auroras like never before
• The Saran-Wrapped Soul
• Hurricane Hermine may pummel Mid
• Drake and Rihanna lock lips on stage... for real this time
• An appreciation of the McDonald's employee with Down Syndrome who just retired after 32 years
• Attorney-Tyrant Privilege
• MashReads Podcast: Catching up with YA superstar Sarah J. Maas

• Something for Nothing
• 5 global milestones that will get you ready for the 2016 Social Good Summit
• Melania Trump sues Daily Mail over '100% false' claims about her past
• Anybody wanna buy a $3,200 Sony Walkman?
• Mind Out of Time
• These pics of a burnt Samsung Galaxy Note 7 are terrifying
• Adorable grandparents suit up in the same outfit every single day
• These pics of a burnt Samsung Galaxy Note 7 are terrifying
• Hugh Hefner Was Always an Abusive Creep with Bad Taste in Leisure Wear
• Uniqlo's biggest Southeast Asia store opens to massive crowd of eager shoppers