NASA’s Perseverance rover has recently snapped a selfie on Mars that unexpectedly captures a Martian dust devil swirling in the background. The dust devil, depicted as a small pale swirl, appeared approximately five kilometres behind the rover during the photoshoot conducted earlier this month.
The composite image, which consists of 59 individual photographs taken by the rover’s robotic arm camera, was released on Wednesday. According to Megan Wu, an imaging scientist from Malin Space Science Systems who developed the camera, capturing several images while manoeuvring the arm took about an hour, but she believes the effort was worthwhile. The presence of the dust devil adds a distinctive touch to the selfie, making it particularly memorable.
This selfie additionally highlights Perseverance’s latest sample borehole on the Martian surface, marking a significant milestone of 1500 sols (Martian days) in its mission, which translates to about 1541 Earth days. The rover, covered in red Martian dust from drilling into various rocks, was launched in 2020 and is currently exploring the Jezero Crater—a site believed to have been an ancient lakebed and river delta. This location is of great interest to scientists, as it may offer valuable insights into past microbial life on the planet.
Overall, the remarkable selfie not only showcases the rover’s progress but also encapsulates the intriguing nature of Mars, as symbolised by the whimsical dust devil in the frame.