The Curiosity rover took two photographs of a valley on Mars at totally different instances of day; the photographs have been then colorized and mixed by NASA scientists to provide a picturesque panorama of the planet.
Curiosity took the photographs at Marker Band Valley, a characteristic within the foothills of Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-high mountain in Mars’ Gale Crater. Curiosity’s been trekking round Mount Sharp since September 2014. It’s documented exceptional sights, from a Martian ‘doorway’ to whimsical rock formations.
The latest sight was Marker Band Valley, named for a darkish, skinny rock layer within the space that was first noticed from house. The valley hosts indicators that an historic river as soon as ran by way of the world.
The pictures have been taken at 9:20 a.m. and three:40 p.m. native Mars time on April eighth, shortly after Curiosity accomplished a software program replace.
The pictures have been taken with Curiosity’s black-and-white navigation cameras. Shade was solely added to the photographs afterward, with the blue sky from the morning picture and the yellow Martian sky belonging to the afternoon shot.
“Anybody who’s been to a nationwide park is aware of the scene seems totally different within the morning than it does within the afternoon,” mentioned Doug Ellison, an engineer on the Curiosity crew who deliberate and processed the photographs, in a NASA launch.
“Capturing two instances of day gives darkish shadows as a result of the lighting is coming in from the left and the fitting, such as you may need on a stage – however as an alternative of stage lights, we’re counting on the Solar,” Ellison added.
It’s presently winter the place Curiosity is on Mars, inflicting the shadows within the picture to be for much longer than in different elements of the Martian 12 months.
The horizon within the composite picture is the rim of Gale Crater, the 90-mile-wide (150-kilometer) characteristic wherein Curiosity landed in 2012. For the previous 11 years (and counting) the rover has explored indicators of Mars’ historic geological and fluvial previous, giving planetary scientists one thing to chew on.
Curiosity retains on chugging, and postcards like this are a contented reminder of the science happening a world away from us.
Extra: New Curiosity Picture Reminds Us That Mars Is a Actually Stunning Place
