Mars is riddled with countless rocks on its surface, but few photos capture them as detailed and accurately as this one from NASA's Perseverance rover. Since it landed on the planet in February, Perseverance has been an invaluable tool for Mars exploration. The advanced rover's been looking for signs of ancient life, collecting rock samples that'll be returned to Earth, and capturing thousands of incredible photos.
Unfortunately, all of these activities went on a temporary pause earlier this month. Between October 2 and October 14, the Sun was smack dab in the middle between the Earth and Mars — causing a loss of communication between NASA, Perseverance, and all of the other Martian robots. It's an event that happens every two years and is something NASA was fully prepared for. Now that the solar conjunction is well behind us, Perseverance is back in its usual groove of uploading heaps of new photos every day.
On October 23, 2021, NASA acquired the above image of some fascinating Martian rocks. We can see a large rock in the center of the photo, smaller rocks surrounding it, and a beautifully blurred background of the eerie Mars surface. Perseverance snapped this particular picture with its Right Mastcam-Z camera. There are two Mastcam-Z sensors on Perseverance. They can capture color images and videos, have excellent zoom capabilities, and can even record "three-dimensional stereo images." These Mastcam-Z cameras have repeatedly proven outstanding with their photo quality, but this may be one of the best shots yet.
Further Proof Of Mars' Fascinating Rocks
There are a couple of reasons why this picture is so impressive. For one thing, the rocks pictured here look amazing. They're covered with sand, have numerous jagged edges, and are littered with tiny holes — likely due to Mars' sandstorms and acid fog. Furthermore, the quality of the image is among the best Perseverance has ever returned. Not only is there incredible detail in the rocks, but the depth of the photo looks like it was taken with portrait mode on the new iPhone 13. From a technical perspective, the photo is outstanding.
Of course, this is far from the only image of Martian rocks Perseverance has captured. Earlier this week, Perseverance spotted a rock that looks eerily similar to a large frog. It's also snapped photos of worm-like rocks, massive landscapes, haunting sunrises, and more. Being a photographer may not be Perseverance's main goal, but it sure does a darn good job at it.
Source: NASA