Figure 6-59 Craters on Mars This image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope was made during the opposition of 2003. Arabia Terra looks like the Arabian peninsula on Earth. It is an old, highly eroded region dotted with numerous flat-bottom craters. Lava-covered Syrtis Major was first identified by Christiaan Huygens in 1659. A single impact carved out Hellas Planitia, which is 5 times the size of Texas. Inset: This mosaic of images from the Viking 1 and 2 orbiter spacecraft shows an extensively cratered region located south of the Martian equator. Note how worn down these craters are compared to those on Mercury and our Moon.