Mars rover ‘Curiosity’ sends images of Mount Sharp

The component images were taken by the 100-millimeter-focal-length telephoto lens camera mounted on the right side of Curiosity’s remote sensing mast,during the 45th Martian day of the rover’s mission on Mars (Sept. 20,2012).

The layered mound,also called Aeolis Mons,in the center of Gale Crater rises more than 3 miles (5 kilometers) above the crater floor location of Curiosity.

Lower slopes of Mount Sharp remain a destination for the mission,though the rover will first spend many more weeks around a location called ‘Yellowknife Bay,’ where it has found evidence of a past environment favorable for microbial life.

A version of the mosaic has been white-balanced to show the terrain as if under Earth-like lighting,which makes the sky look overly blue.

White-balanced versions help scientists recognize rock materials based on their terrestrial experience.

The Martian sky would look like more of a butterscotch color to the human eye.