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.

                                2021 March 25

                             Curiosity: Sol 3048
   Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech - Processing: Elisabetta Bonora & Marco
                        Faccin / aliveuniverse.today

   Explanation: Before Perseverance there was Curiosity. In fact, the
   Curiosity rover accomplished the first sky crane maneuver touchdown on
   Mars on April 5, 2012. March 2, 2021 marked Curiosity's 3,048th martian
   day operating on the surface of the Red Planet. This 360 degree
   panorama from sol 3048 is a mosaic of 149 frames from Curiosity's
   Mastcam above the rover's deck. It includes 23 frames of icy, thin,
   high clouds drifting through the martian sky. The cloudy sky frames
   were recorded throughout that martian day and are digitally stitched
   together in the panoramic view. Near center is a layered and streaked
   Mont Mercou. The peak of central Mount Sharp, rising over 5 kilometers
   above the floor of Gale Crater, is in the distant background on the
   left.

                       Tomorrow's picture: serpentine
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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