Suggested Searches

APOD

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

NASA's Curiosity Rover at Namib Dune (360 View)

Explanation: Point or tilt to see a spectacular view of Mars visible to the Curiosity rover last December. In the foreground, part of Curiosity itself is visible, including its dusty sundial . Starting about seven meters back, the robotic rover is seen posing in front of a 5-meter tall dark sand dune named Namib , one of many dunes that span Bagnold field. Further in the distance is the summit of Mt. Sharp , the 5.5-kilometer peak at the center of 150-km wide Gale crater, the crater where Curiosity landed a few years ago. The featured composite spans a full 360-degrees around by combining several images taken on the same day, while the result has been color adjusted to mimic Earth lighting . Most recently , Curiosity is crossing the rocky and uneven Naukluft Plateau as it continues to make its way around and up Mt. Sharp .

Note: If your browser does not support YouTube 360 panoramas, see a cool static version of the image here .

Date March 29, 2016
Credit Image Credit: NASA , JPL-Caltech , MSSS
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.