NASA rover posts glorious GIF of a Martian day

"Hey look – I’m a sundial!"
By Shannon Connellan  on 
A Martian landscape taken by the Curiosity Rover, whose shadow is in the foreground.
Mars, from dawn 'til dusk. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA regularly posts highly impressive GIFs of glimpses beyond our own atmosphere, and this week, it's another beauty from Mars.

On Thursday, the space agency's Curiosity rover posted two animated images showing the six-wheeled vehicle's view of the Martian landscape over 12 hours. It's essentially the representation of one Martian day, from sunrise to sunset, with Curiosity capturing its own shadow in the foreground.

"Hey look – I’m a sundial!" tweeted the official Curiosity account. "Ok, not exactly, but I did get a sol to enjoy my surroundings. During solar conjunction, I used my hazard cameras to study the Martian weather and dust."

You can see the second set of images on NASA's Mars website.

Curiosity's photos were taken on Nov. 8 from 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. local time. The view is looking southeast (front camera) and northwest (rear camera) from the Gediz Vallis Ridge, where Curiosity recently (and triumphantly) arrived — a major stop on its steady climb of Mount Sharp in Gale Crater, ongoing since 2014.

Mashable Light Speed
Want more space and science stories in your inbox?
Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter.
By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up!

They were snapped using the rover's front and rear Hazard-Avoidance Cameras, known as hazcams (cameras that not only help the robot identify obstacles and tricky terrain, but brought us all kinds of glorious Mars imagery). According to NASA, the rover was commanded to record them before the Mars solar conjunction, when the Sun rudely sits between Mars and Earth and messes up communications — it's an approximately two-week period that happens every two years.

NASA scientists were hoping to capture some Martian clouds or dust devils, and while they didn't get any weather in the photos, the stitched clips are a glorious example of a Martian day — and Curiosity's presence during it.

"As the sky brightens during sunrise, the shadow of the rover’s 7-foot (2-meter) robotic arm moves to the left, and Curiosity’s front wheels emerge from the darkness on either side of the frame. Also becoming visible at left is a circular calibration target mounted on the shoulder of the robotic arm," reads NASA's blog post. "Engineers use the target to test the accuracy of the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer, an instrument that detects chemical elements on the Martian surface.

"In the middle of the day, the front Hazcam’s autoexposure algorithm settles on exposure times of around one-third of a second. By nightfall, that exposure time grows to more than a minute, causing the typical sensor noise known as “hot pixels” that appears as white snow across the final image."

As for the spots on the cameras? Well, you don't careen around Mars for 11 years without getting a little dust on the lens.

Topics NASA

A black and white image of a person with a long braid and thick framed glasses.
Shannon Connellan

Shannon Connellan is Mashable's UK Editor based in London, formerly Mashable's Australia Editor, but emotionally, she lives in the Creel House. A Tomatometer-approved critic, Shannon writes about everything (but not anything) across entertainment, tech, social good, science, and culture.


Recommended For You

iOS 17.4 beta adds 118 new emoji. The phoenix one is fire.

NASA can finally touch the 'rarest' rocks on Earth

Watch David Tennant bring a dog to the BAFTAs in chaotic opening sketch


More in Science

How to track your tax refund online

The best Presidents' Day deals you can shop right now, from mattresses to tech


12 products on sale that make great Valentine's Day gifts

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for February 21

Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for February 21

NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for February 20


How to try Sora, OpenAI's AI video generator
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!