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- Sol 548 — Mount Sharp on the horizon (Feb. 19, 2014)
- Sol 956 — Blue skies on Mars (April 15, 2015)
- Sol 1128 — Selfie at Namib Dune (Jan. 19, 2016)
- Sol 1819 — A thumbprint in the dust (Sept. 17, 2017)
- Sol 3466 — Not a doorway for aliens (May 7, 2022)
- Sol 3724 — An iridescent, night-shining cloud (Jan. 27, 2023)
- Sol 3725 — Meteorite “Cacao” (Jan. 28, 2023)
- Sol 4208 — Elemental sulfur revealed (June 2024)
- Sol 182–4263 — All 42 drill samples
- Sol 4671 — Exploring Martian “spiderwebs” (Sept. 26, 2025)
As of Aug. 30, 2026, NASA’s Curiosity rover has completed more than 5,000 Martian days photographing the Red Planet as it searches for signs that water—and possibly life—once existed there. What follows are ten striking images Curiosity has returned during a mission that has far outlived its original two-year plan.
Sol 548 — Mount Sharp on the horizon (Feb. 19, 2014)
About 18 months after landing, Curiosity captured a wide view of Mount Sharp, the 3.4-mile-high (5.5 km) peak that dominates Gale Crater. Scientists hoped then that the rover would reach the mountain’s base for close study; the vehicle ultimately climbed into the foothills and has driven more than 23.6 miles (38 km) from its landing site while conducting geological investigations.
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Sol 956 — Blue skies on Mars (April 15, 2015)
In the rover’s first color images of a Martian sunset, Curiosity revealed a surprising blue hue near the sun. Mars’s atmosphere normally casts yellow-orange light, but fine dust particles allow more blue wavelengths to reach the viewer when the sun sits low on the horizon.
Sol 1128 — Selfie at Namib Dune (Jan. 19, 2016)
Curiosity’s “selfies” are mosaics assembled from many shots. This portrait was built from 57 images taken with the arm-mounted camera while the rover worked beside Namib Dune, part of the dark sand fields of Bagnold. The team deliberately disturbed dune sand to study its properties and how it moves under Martian wind.
Sol 1819 — A thumbprint in the dust (Sept. 17, 2017)
The rover brushed dust off a Vera Rubin Ridge rock to reveal a deeper, reddish-purple tone. Geologists interpreted the fine-grained material as hematite cut by veins of calcium sulfate, a discovery that hinted at richer colors and more complex chemistry hidden beneath Mars’s ubiquitous dust. Scientists later reported ruby-like materials embedded in some Martian rocks.
Sol 3466 — Not a doorway for aliens (May 7, 2022)
A small, boxy opening in a cliff drew internet speculation about a “door.” NASA explained the roughly 3-foot-high aperture results from intersecting vertical fractures and horizontal bedding in the rock. Nearby rubble suggests pieces of the cliff detached naturally, not a carved entrance.
Sol 3724 — An iridescent, night-shining cloud (Jan. 27, 2023)
Shortly after sunset, Curiosity photographed a high-altitude noctilucent cloud with shimmering colors. Because it formed much higher—and therefore much colder—than typical Martian clouds, scientists think it was composed of carbon dioxide ice rather than water ice. The cloud’s uniform iridescence indicates the ice particles were similar in size, consistent with a recently formed cloud.
Sol 3725 — Meteorite “Cacao” (Jan. 28, 2023)
The rover found an iron-nickel meteorite roughly a foot across that team members nicknamed “Cacao.” Curiosity used a laser to vaporize and analyze a portion of the rock. Meteorites can persist far longer on Mars than on Earth, and large iron finds suggest the planet once had a denser atmosphere capable of slowing such objects.
Sol 4208 — Elemental sulfur revealed (June 2024)
When Curiosity accidentally crushed a rock while driving, it exposed bright yellow fragments identified as rare crystals of elemental sulfur about 5 inches (12.7 cm) across. Although Mars contains many sulfur-bearing minerals, this was the first clear detection of pure sulfur. On Earth, similar deposits often form through volcanic or hydrothermal activity; how they formed on Mars remains under investigation.
Sol 182–4263 — All 42 drill samples
Over the mission, Curiosity has drilled and processed 42 rock samples using a small, arm-mounted drill. The powdered material is routed into the rover’s internal instruments to determine chemical compositions. Each sampling site is chosen carefully because the spacecraft carries a limited number of sample cups.
The resulting collection of sample images forms a mosaic that showcases the diverse rock types Curiosity has encountered during its campaign.
Sol 4671 — Exploring Martian “spiderwebs” (Sept. 26, 2025)
During a ground-level visit to boxwork ridges and hollows, Curiosity photographed low, lace-like mineral ridges sometimes described as stone “spiderwebs.” These features are remnants of hardened mineral deposits left where water once flowed through fractured rock; erosion removed the softer host rock and left the resistant veins standing.
After studying the boxwork, the rover moved on in March to continue its survey of the landscape. Throughout the mission, Curiosity’s suite of 17 cameras has recorded hundreds of images every sol, contributing more than 780,000 photos to researchers back on Earth as controllers plan the rover’s next moves in the ongoing search for signs that Mars once had the water and chemistry to support ancient microbial life.
