The scientific community was floored by an ultra-HD (4K) video of planet Mars’ terrain. NASA’s robotic rovers captured state-of-the-art panoramic pictures of the martian landscape, among which were rolling dunes, sweeping deserts, rough cliffs, and magnificent craters.
The video, “Mars in 4K,” was posted by Britain’s ElderFox Documentaries. ElderFox’s goal is to “create interesting and original space exploration documentaries.” 4K resolution refers to a horizontal display resolution of approximately 4,000 pixels, an extremely clear picture quality. This “journey across the surface of another world” was made using digital photos shot and beamed to earth by NASA rovers Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity. The frames were then sequenced, or “mosaiced,” to create the illusion of a video camera panning across the barren landscape. Black areas in the video mean no image was taken.
The largest view, Glen Torridon, contains 1.8 billion pixels. This area is theorized to contain large segments of clay, meaning at one point water was present. The Glen Torridon view was made from over 1,000 images taken by Curiosity between November 24 and December 1, 2019.
The true sky color of Mars is reddish and hazy. The sky appears blue in some images due to recoloring by NASA. The technique aids geologists in identifying rock formations and produces a much clearer picture.
Locations highlighted in the video include Cape Verde, Santa Maria Crater, Burns Cliff, and Marathon Valley Entrance.
Today, Curiosity is the last Rover standing. The Spirit rover was trapped in a dune and lost the ability to charge its solar panels, and Opportunity was lost after experiencing a massive dust storm. The rovers are considered one of NASA’s most successful missions.
