NASA's Curiosity rover captured a self-portrait on Mars, marking a milestone in its exploration of Gale Crater and Mount Sharp.
Key facts
- •The selfie was captured on sol 1943, which is January 23, 2018, on Earth.
- •The mosaic consists of 61 separate exposures taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager.
- •The background of the image was captured by the rover's Mastcam on sol 1903.
- •Curiosity reached a 1-kilometer total elevation gain on August 26, 2026.
- •The rover's ChemCam housing blocks the view of the 5-kilometer-high peak of Mount Sharp.
On sol 1943 of its mission, the Curiosity rover recorded a selfie at the south rim of Vera Rubin Ridge on Mars. This image, which corresponds to the Earth date of January 23, 2018, was created by mosaicking 61 individual exposures taken by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager.
By the numbers
Technical Composition of the Image
The final image was composed as an interactive 360-degree virtual reality panorama. Frames that included the rover's robotic arm were edited out of the final mosaic, while the background was sourced from images taken by the rover's Mastcam on sol 1903. The rover's ChemCam housing, located at the top of the mast, obscures the view of Mount Sharp's 5-kilometer-high peak in the photograph.
Mission Milestones
Curiosity has been traversing the surface of Mars, with a sol defined as a Martian solar day approximately 40 minutes longer than an Earth day. As of August 26, 2026, the rover reached a total elevation gain of 1 kilometer during its journey from the floor of Gale Crater up the slopes of Mount Sharp.
Timeline
- Sol 1903The rover's Mastcam captured the background images used in the selfie.
- January 23, 2018The Curiosity rover recorded the selfie at the south rim of Vera Rubin Ridge.
- August 26, 2026Curiosity reached a total elevation gain of 1 kilometer on Mount Sharp.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by NASA Breaking News.
