NASA has unveiled a groundbreaking treat for space enthusiasts and curious minds alike, as they released a captivating interactive 360-degree image of Mars. Offering an immersive experience, this unprecedented glimpse into the Red Planet’s rugged terrain allows users to explore its alien landscapes from the comfort of their own screens. With each click and drag, this remarkable visual artifact invites us to venture into the mysteries of Mars, fostering a deeper understanding of our neighboring celestial body.
The component images of this scene were taken at the downwind face of “Namib Dune” by the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover during the 1,197th Martian day, or sol, of the rover’s work on Mars. They include a portion of Mount Sharp (see notes 1) on the horizon. You can use the arrows in the top left, or click and drag your cursor or mouse, to move the view up/down and right/left. See the red planet’s surface with your own eyes, in ultra HD!
Note: Not all browsers support viewing 360-degree videos/images. YouTube supports uploading and playback of 360-degree videos/images on computers using Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera browsers.
The rover’s location is in the dark-sand “Bagnold Dunes” field along the northwestern flank of Mount Sharp. Images taken from orbit indicate that dunes in the Bagnold field move as much as about 3 feet (1 meter) per Earth year.
Curiosity is a car-sized robotic rover exploring Gale Crater on Mars as part of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory mission (MSL). As of March 28, 2016, Curiosity has been on Mars for 1295 sols (1330 total days) since landing on August 6, 2012.
Notes
- Mount Sharp, officially Aeolis Mons is a mountain on Mars. It forms the central peak within the Gale Crater and is located around 5.08°S 137.85°E, rising 5.5 km (18,000 ft) high from the valley floor. Curiosity landed in the “Yellowknife” Quad of Aeolis Palus, next to the mountain, on August 6, 2012.
Sources
- Curiosity Rover on Wikipedia
- Mount Sharp on Wikipedia
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