largely Mars The photo shows the planet in sunlight.
But this wasn’t taken in the sun.
This photo was taken in the middle of the night on Mars, and only a small portion of the ground was visible.
Meanwhile, rather disturbingly, everything else fades to black.
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Unusual observation of Mars after dark
The image is Photographed by NASA’s Curiosity spacecraft at night on Mars, using an LED light attached to the end of a robotic arm.
Those lights will be aimed directly at a hole Curiosity drilled into a rock called Nevado Sajama, creating a bright spotlight surrounded by complete darkness.
Nights on Mars last just over 12 hours, during which temperatures can drop to about -100 degrees Fahrenheit, and there is no artificial light anywhere on Earth.
There are no towns, no street lights, not even a small light in the distance.
So when Curiosity turns on the LED, that little ring of light literally turns The only thing that shines on Mars.
The hole itself was drilled on November 13, Curiosity’s 4,740th Mars day.
After a few weeks, the team realized the hole was smooth enough to explore and made night-time images.
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Explore the planet’s interior, one drill hole at a time
This photo is from Curiosity’s Mars Hand Lens Imager. 17 cameras on the rover.
It uses white LED and UV LED lights to capture clear, true-color photos even in complete darkness.
And I mean complete darkness.
Some of the most interesting places to study on Mars are those that receive no sunlight at all, such as drill holes and inside rocks.
Drilling hasn’t always been smooth sailing.
A problem in 2018 changed the way Curiosity drilled its holes, many of which were so rough that it was impossible to see inside.
But this was different.
The surrounding area is full of strange rock formations that look like giant spider webs when viewed from above.
image Helped scientists better understand Rock structure in the area.
These photos don’t show Mars at its most dramatic.
They show it most honestly.
It’s quiet, there’s no light, and I study one drill hole at a time.
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