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One of the best things about NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance rovers is… Amazing photographs Which they produce from the Martian landscape. These images give scientists a better view of our red neighbor It’s also great to see. Curiosity’s latest image is a stunning panorama taken from the Mount Sharp region on Mars, and it’s an instant classic.
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The picture that NASA published This December 30 image is located along a ridge at the foothills of Mount Sharp, a three-mile-high mountain that Curiosity has been slowly climbing since 2014. The mountain is in the middle of Gale Crater, and the image shows it down the slope toward the crater floor. You can also see the edge of the crater in the background of the image.
Curiosity was in the vicinity to collect more samples from a nearby place known as Nevado Sajama. Eagle-eyed viewers may also see Curiosity’s ruins, which lead to the drilling site in Valle de la Luna. Valle de la Luna shares its name with two land landmarks that are also known for their unique rock structures sculpted by wind and water erosion.
A full day on Mars
Arguably the coolest part of a photo is when it was taken. The image was pieced together from raw images taken on Sol 4722 and 4723, or Sol, and at different times of the day. Curiosity captured the first image at 4:15 PM on Sol 4722 and the other at 8:20 AM on Sol 4723. To save you a Google search, the times translate to November 18 here on Earth for both images.
Once the images were pieced together, NASA colorized the image to show what early morning and afternoon might look like on the red planet. The image shows late afternoon on the orange side and morning on the blue side. NASA also notes that adding color helps differentiate landscapes and make small details easier to see. It’s also fun to look at when compared to it Raw images Which curiosity sent home in those days.
This is the third such “postcard” taken by the Curiosity spacecraft. the The first was in November 2021It was brought close to the base of Mount Sharp. the second came from Marker Band Valley, which is also located in the foothills of Mount Sharp.