NASA has released a video showing the landscape on Mars.
The video is based on a panoramic image shared by the space agency. Perseverance project scientist Ken Farley gives a fresh perspective by describing key areas of interest in the latest release.
Perseverance, which arrived on Mars in February 2021, gathered the imagery using its Mastcam-Z instrument, one of many cameras that the rover is using during its mission. There are 14 separate images in the panorama that you see in the video.
One of the mission's key goals is to find signs of ancient life in Jezero Crater, an area that scientists believe was once filled with water.
The rim of Jezero Crater is more than six miles away from where the shot was taken, and the imagery has been enhanced to alter Mars' natural reddish color so scientists can more easily interpret the landscape.
We can see a canyon carved more than three billion years ago when Mars was a different place. The mud and sand was deposited on the crater floor when the river met Jezero's lake.
The large boulders spotted in the far distance are also known as the bacon strip.
The sand dunes between Perseverance and the destination mean that the team will have to take a long route to get to the boulders.
The scientist says that images like this one help us learn more about the ancient Martian environment and provide new clues to where to look for evidence of ancient life.
The Perseverance rover mission is trying to find signs of ancient life, but it is also trying to gather data for the first crewed mission to Mars, as well as collecting samples of Martian rock for return to Earth.
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