Zoom in on every pebble and stone around the Curiosity rover in this amazing high-resolution interactive panorama taken on Mars.
This 360-degree view shows the craggy rim of Gale Crater towering behind the rover and the looming precipice of Mount Sharp — the rover’s ultimate destination — standing in front. The images from this mosaic were taken by Curiosity’s 2-megapixel MastCams and released on Aug. 27. Danish photographer Hans Nyberg used NASA’s data to create the immersive version seen above.
Best viewed in full-screen mode, the interactive panorama is adjusted to show how the Martian surface would appear if lit under Earth-like brightness and colors. This helps geologists at JPL identify important features that they might otherwise miss if looking at the images as they appear on Mars. Nyberg also added a bit more sky to the interactive version. You can see the original raw panorama corrected for lighting conditions on Mars (warning: large file).
Curiosity has had a busy early mission on Mars, testing its various systems, wheels, and laser-shooting capabilities. It has now started to head eastward in the direction of its first target, an area named Glenelg.
Image: Hans Nyberg
