Fact Check: What Mars Rovers Really See | NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Fact Check: What Mars Rovers Really See | NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Would the night sky on Mars be filled with twinkling stars like we are used to seeing on Earth? This depends on who is looking. If there were a space observatory on Mars, you could expect it to observe millions of stars, but those are not the kinds of images that the cameras on NASA’s rovers are designed to capture. Whatis the real story of the viral “Mars night sky” image? Abigail Fraeman, deputy project scientist for NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover, separates fact from fiction when it comes to stargazing through a rover’s eyes.

Celebrating 12+ Years on Mars (2012-2024)

Mission Name: Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Rover Name: Curiosity

Main Job: To determine if Mars was ever habitable to microbial life. 

Launch: Nov. 6, 2011

Landing Date: Aug. 5, 2012, Gale Crater, Mars

Celebrating 4+ Years on Mars

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance

Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for return to Earth.

Launch: July 30, 2020    

Landing: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars

For more information on NASA's Mars missions, visit: mars.nasa.gov

Video Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/ESO/Bill Dunford

Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: April 15, 2025

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