APOD: Rock Nest Panorama from Curiosity on... (2013 Jun 25)

[APOD Robot]

Rock Nest Panorama from Curiosity on Mars

Explanation: This is Mars -- have a look around. More specifically, this is one area picked for its promise of holding clues to the habitability of Mars to ancient life. To better search for telling leads, the robotic Curiosity rover took a series of detailed images from a location called Rock Nest. Over 900 of these images were then composed into one of the highest resolution images ever created of the red planet -- a composite containing over one billion pixels. Shown above, toward the middle of this image mosaic, is Mt. Sharp, the central peak of the large crater where the Curiosity rover landed and is currently exploring. An interactive and zoomable version of this image is available here. Over the next few years, Curiosity is scheduled to roll toward the peak of ancient Mt. Sharp, all the while keeping a lookout for distinguishing geological and chemical markers.

<< Previous APOD

This Day in APOD

Next APOD >>

[/b]

[Anthony Barreiro]

Wow, the zoomable panorama is amazing. I feel like I've just visited Mars.

By the way, "Mt. Sharp" is an informal nickname. The officially recognized International Astronomical Union name for that peak is Aeolis Mons. I could understand using both names in an apod caption, but not using proper nomenclature seems like a missed educational opportunity.

[Boomer12k]

Really nice...you get to see Mars rocks up close.

Put your browser in full screen, hook up a projector, and you get the feel of looking out the portal from your habitat module... especially on the zoom-able page....

Many interesting features.

:---[===] *

[mjimih]

i can actually feel what it would be like to sink my toes into the fine "sand" of a Mars beach now. amazing

[fryegazer2]

When I was "looking around" with the interactive viewer, I came upon a number of similar looking items that were in the same general area. They were different than other objects in the photo. Meaning I could not tell if they were rocks or something else. One of a couple unique characteristics is that they are all green and seem to be the same size. Maybe they are photographic reflections or something else created by the editing process. To find them, I went and clicked on the Cylindrical Viewer box titled Raw Color (the second box to the right on the bottom ). From there, you will notice the metal from Curiosity to the left and a rock in the foreground to the right. Then I began magnifying and scanning the hill in the distance. I noticed a small darkened spot. I then magnified as much as possible and saw a green colored object. Since it was so far away, I could not recognize any features other than it's basic shape. This was interesting, but what really caught my attention was the fact that after scanning the hill more, I found at least two others objects on the hill that look pretty much exactly like the first one I saw. After scanning around the entire photo for a while, I did not find any more of the objects in other areas. Does anybody know what they are? Are they an artificial image produced by effects from the camera or editing? Your input is valued. Thanks.

[Danilo]

I just spotted this white thingy and I'm wondering what it may be

[Danilo]

click to enlarge!

[fryegazer2]

Those are wild! I haven't figured out how to isolate and freeze and share an item. But, there are more of those white kind of shiny things on the panorama photo.

[rstevenson]

I just spotted this white thingy and I'm wondering what it may be

I believe the proper name for them is "white thingy", but they may also be called "white kind of shiny things".

But seriously folk, they may not actually be white. They may simply be a more reflective stone than the material around them, causing the pixels that recorded them to overload. Curiosity has taken a lot of pictures in that area, at different times of the day, so it would be interesting to track down the same location in other images to see what could be seen.

Rob

[stephen63]

This link has the various thingies labeled.
http://mars.nasa.gov/multimedia/interac ... 8&view=cyl

[Wadsworth]

I just spotted this white thingy and I'm wondering what it may be

I believe the proper name for them is "white thingy", but they may also be called "white kind of shiny things".

Rob

Looks like 'Shiny Object' is the correct technical name. Nasa's site:
"Curiosity has found numerous shiny objects, most likely pieces of debris shed during the parachute deployment and landing."

Obviously another nasa cover-up story. Everyone knows Martians are particular to shiny objects or 'bling'. The presence of these shiny objects on mars irrefutably proves the existence of past life on mars. How else could bling have gotten there?

[nstahl]

I just spotted this white thingy and I'm wondering what it may be

It's clearly a tooth.

[Tara Li]

Does anyone want to mention to the APOD people who can change the webpage that this is June 25th's image, and not a second June 24th image? Or am I wrong, and we'll get a bonus image later today?

[geckzilla]

Does anyone want to mention to the APOD people who can change the webpage that this is June 25th's image, and not a second June 24th image? Or am I wrong, and we'll get a bonus image later today?

I mailed RJN about it.

[Chris Peterson]

Obviously another nasa cover-up story. Everyone knows Martians are particular to shiny objects or 'bling'. The presence of these shiny objects on mars irrefutably proves the existence of past life on mars. How else could bling have gotten there?

Wrong. While it's true that any Martians would be particular to bling, the harsh surface conditions mean they would operate like packrats or magpies, taking the shiny bits off to hidden nests. The fact that the bling remains on the surface actually proves that there are no Martians to carry it away.

[Gary S]

A curious feature, not too far away: just below the peak are a series of flat rocks aligned in a curve. Perhaps the crater from a past meteor strike?

[MKIII]

Why is so much of the Rover exposed to the elements? I see a lot of connectors and things. Wouldn't it last longer if so much wasn't exposed to the heat and cold? Just curious.

[geckzilla]

Why is so much of the Rover exposed to the elements? I see a lot of connectors and things. Wouldn't it last longer if so much wasn't exposed to the heat and cold? Just curious.

Some parts do have to stay warm or they fail. There is a heating (and cooling if necessary) system on the rover. Apparently the exposed parts are alright the way they are.

[Chris Peterson]

Why is so much of the Rover exposed to the elements? I see a lot of connectors and things. Wouldn't it last longer if so much wasn't exposed to the heat and cold? Just curious.

Pick the right kind of wire and connectors, and harnesses can survive for years under very harsh conditions. Ever looked under the hood of your car?

Routing wiring on the surface allows for there to be nothing but surface. Enclosed areas add a lot of mass, and every gram allocated to the vehicle itself is a gram taken away from a possible scientific instrument.

[Jacob]

When I was "looking around" with the interactive viewer, I came upon a number of similar looking items that were in the same general area. They were different than other objects in the photo. Meaning I could not tell if they were rocks or something else. One of a couple unique characteristics is that they are all green and seem to be the same size. Maybe they are photographic reflections or something else created by the editing process. To find them, I went and clicked on the Cylindrical Viewer box titled Raw Color (the second box to the right on the bottom ). From there, you will notice the metal from Curiosity to the left and a rock in the foreground to the right. Then I began magnifying and scanning the hill in the distance. I noticed a small darkened spot. I then magnified as much as possible and saw a green colored object. Since it was so far away, I could not recognize any features other than it's basic shape. This was interesting, but what really caught my attention was the fact that after scanning the hill more, I found at least two others objects on the hill that look pretty much exactly like the first one I saw. After scanning around the entire photo for a while, I did not find any more of the objects in other areas. Does anybody know what they are? Are they an artificial image produced by effects from the camera or editing? Your input is valued. Thanks.

Click here for explanation. (Alternatively, it's little green men who have a curious obsession with hovering in exactly the same pixels in every shot the color camera takes.)

[PhilT]

SO nice to see a sandy beach without a bunch of deck chairs, sweet papers and plastic drink bottles spread all over the place.

[DavidLeodis]

I'm always in awe at what is being achieved by Curiosity and Opportunity rovers (and the 'late' Spirit rover). The detail that can be seen when using the zoomable version of the image is astounding.

The "Curiosity is scheduled to roll toward the peak of ancient Mt. Sharp" in the explanation made me as I then had a vision of Curiosity no longer using its wheels as it turned continually over as it went to Mt Sharp. Now that would be a way to move!

[mjimih]

it's really too bad the Imax movie camera is so heavy... THAT would be cool, a 3D HD movie of any rovers' travels . The Hobbit was filmed using dozens of little cameras used together for a 3D effect.
http://collider.com/peter-jackson-the-h ... c-cameras/

[geckzilla]

I might be alone with this opinion but as amazing as Curiosity is, the photographs we see from it are visually boring. Dust-covered rocks and more dust-covered rocks. They're nice to look at now and then but it's no Cassini. I wonder what will kill the first humans to set foot on Mars? The environment itself? Or will they go stir-crazy in their habitats with nothing outside but the bleak Martian landscape? Maybe we should only send geologists. Rock collection might keep them going for a long time.

[Chris Peterson]

I might be alone with this opinion but as amazing as Curiosity is, the photographs we see from it are visually boring. Dust-covered rocks and more dust-covered rocks. They're nice to look at now and then but it's no Cassini. I wonder what will kill the first humans to set foot on Mars? The environment itself? Or will they go stir-crazy in their habitats with nothing outside but the bleak Martian landscape? Maybe we should only send geologists. Rock collection might keep them going for a long time.

I love those stark landscapes. But then, I like trekking in the Sahara.