This is the first image ever taken of Earth from the surface of a planet beyond the Moon. It was taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit one hour before sunrise on the 63rd martian day, or sol, of its mission. Earth is the tiny white dot in the center. The image is a mosaic of images taken by the rover's navigation camera showing a broad view of the sky, and an image taken by the rover's panoramic camera of Earth. The contrast in the panoramic camera image was increased two times to make Earth easier to see.
Name | Value | Additional Values |
---|---|---|
Target | Earth | Mars |
System | ||
Target Type | Planet | |
Mission | Mars Exploration Rover (MER) | |
Instrument Host | Spirit (MER-A) | |
Host Type | Rover | |
Instrument | Panoramic Camera (Pancam) | |
Detector | ||
Extra Keywords | Grayscale, Moon | |
Acquisition Date | ||
Release Date | 2004-03-13 | |
Date in Caption | ||
Image Credit | NASA/JPL/Cornell | |
Source | photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05560 | |
Identifier | PIA05560 |