NASA Shares Stunning Image of the Sun Rising on Mars Captured by InSight’s Camera
Sunrise on Mars. (Photo: NASA)
The InSight Lander of NASA captured a breathtaking image of the sunrise on Mars on April 10. “InSight will never tire of watching the sunrise on Mars. Each morning, a small dot in the distance rises higher on the horizon, providing energy to continue listening to the crunching sounds beneath the wheels,” NASA shared on Twitter on April 10.
Not only did they post the stunning image, but the InSight mission team also compiled several sunrise photos to create a short timelapse video. InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) is a lander designed to study earthquakes and the internal structure of the Red Planet. It landed in the Elysium Planitia region in November 2018 and is currently in an extended operational phase after completing its primary mission over one Martian year (equivalent to 687 Earth days).
In January 2022, a massive dust storm forced InSight to switch to “safe mode” as its solar panels were not generating enough energy to conduct scientific operations. The lander resumed operations on February 15, according to NASA. Authorities hope InSight will continue its scientific mission on Mars through the summer and conclude in December.
