Swipe right to see a lot more of Mars
When our astronauts set foot on the surface of Mars, they could be treated to a panorama like this one, taken by our Curiosity rover earlier this year. Curiosity has been rolling through the Gale Crater region for more than 4,000 Martian days, exploring the Red Planet's geology from a time when it could have once been home to microbial life.
Curiosity captured this view on Feb. 7, 2025, as it climbed Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-tall mountain made up of layers which formed in different eras of Martian history. By studying each layer, Curiosity's scientists can learn more about how the planet's environment changed over time from a warmer, wetter, and more Earthlike world to the freezing desert it is today. This view looks back down from the slopes of Mount Sharp into Gale Crater.
Image description: A very wide panorama, split into several images, shows off a rocky Martian landscape. A rippled, reddish-brown surface dominates the foreground, with hilly slopes descending into a flat plain—the surface of Gale Crater. The far wall of the crater can be faintly seen in the distance.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS