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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.
Shadow of a Martian Robot
Explanation: What if you saw your shadow on Mars and it wasn't human ? Then you might be the Opportunity rover exploring Mars. Opportunity explored the Red Planet from 2004 to 2018, finding evidence of ancient water , and sending breathtaking images across the inner Solar System . Pictured here in 2004, Opportunity looks opposite the Sun into Endurance Crater and sees its own shadow . Two wheels are visible on the lower left and right, while the floor and walls of the unusual crater are visible in the background. Caught in a dust storm in 2018 , Opportunity stopped responding, and NASA stopped trying to contact it in 2019 and declared the ground-breaking mission , originally planned for only 92 days, complete .
| Date | February 22, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Image Credit: NASA , JPL , Mars Exploration Rover Mission |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |