PIA05546: Stars in Orion as Seen from Mars


Stars in Orion as Seen from Mars

Caption:

Stars in the upper portion of the constellation Orion the Hunter, including the bright shoulder star Betelgeuse and Orion's three-star belt, appear in this image taken from the surface of Mars by the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit.

Spirit imaged stars on March 11, 2004, after it awoke during the martian night for a communication session with NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter. This image is an eight-second exposure. Longer exposures were also taken. The images tested the capabilities of the rover for night-sky observations. Scientists will use the results to aid planning for possible future astronomical observations from Mars.

Cataloging Keywords:

Name Value Additional Values
Target Mars
System
Target Type Planet
Mission Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Mars Global Surveyor (MGS)
Instrument Host Spirit (MER-A) Mars Global Surveyor
Host Type Rover Orbiter
Instrument Panoramic Camera (Pancam)
Detector
Extra Keywords Grayscale
Acquisition Date
Release Date 2004-03-11
Date in Caption 2004-03-11
Image Credit NASA/JPL/Cornell
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05546
Identifier PIA05546