Cerberus Fossae

Cerberus Fossae are a group of fissures or cracks in the Elysium quadrangle. They were created by faults which pulling the crust apart. These fossae are 1235 km across with a center at 11.28 °N and 166.37 °E. This region on Mars is a dark area in the Northern hemisphere. Its name comes from Greek mythology where it was known as the “hound of Hades." According to this Greek myth Cerberus was the multi-headed dog who guarded the gates of the Underworld. He stopped the dead from leaving. A popular saying is a "sop to Cerberus" meaning a bribe. This was from the ancient Greek and Roman custom of leaving gifts with corpses so that Cerberus would pass them by. The origin of this praise is the Aeneid. In the story, Sibyl leading Aeneas to the underworld threw a drugged cake to Cerberus. Aeneas was then able to pass by Cerberus.

Cerberus is dark area to left of center

Troughs of Cerberus Fossae that sit to the east of Albor Tholus HiRISE images only have a color strip in the center. Marquakes detected by InSight are originating in places like this.

See Also

• Elysium quadrangle
• High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE)
• InSight Mission
• Geography of Mars

Recommended reading

• JPL Mission to Mars InSight

External links

• Mars InSight Mission
• Mission Control Live: NASA InSight Mars Landing
• How NASA's Next Mars Mission Will Take the Red Planet's Pulse | Decoder

• Timeline of Surface Operations

• [https://usc-marshall-panopto-demo.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=399919d8-faf3-4feb-bdec-aae80114eeb6 / Update on InSight from Mars Society Convention 2019

• InSight Live Q&A: Journey to the Center of Mars with the Lander Team