NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity has captured its highest-resolution panorama (high-resolution file, 2.43 GB) yet of the Martian surface.
The new panorama combines more than 1,000 images taken with Curiosity’s Mast Camera (Mastcam).
It contains 1.8 billion pixels of Martian landscape and showcases Glen Torridon, a region on the side of Mount Sharp that Curiosity is exploring.
The images were snapped between November 24 and December 1, 2019, when the mission team was out for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Sitting still with few tasks to do while awaiting the researchers to return and provide its next commands, the rover had a rare chance to image its surroundings from the same vantage point several days in a row.
Curiosity captured this panorama of the Martian surface between November 24 and December 1, 2019. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS.
It required more than 6.5 hours over the four days for Curiosity to capture the individual shots.
Mastcam operators programmed the complex task list, which included pointing the rover’s mast and making sure the images were in focus.
To ensure consistent lighting, they confined imaging to between noon and 2 p.m. local Mars time each day.
“While many on our team were at home enjoying turkey, Curiosity produced this feast for the eyes,” said Curiosity project scientist Dr. Ashwin Vasavada, a scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
“This is the first time during the mission we’ve dedicated our operations to a stereo 360-degree panorama.”
Curiosity also produced a lower-resolution, nearly 650-million-pixel panorama that includes the rover’s deck and robotic arm.
