Image description: On May 19, 2005, NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Spirit captured this stunning view as the Sun sank below the rim of Gusev crater on Mars. This Panoramic Camera mosaic was taken around 6:07 in the evening of the rover’s 489th Martian day, or sol.

From NASA:

Sunset and twilight images are occasionally acquired by the science team to determine how high into the atmosphere the Martian dust extends, and to look for dust or ice clouds. Other images have shown that the twilight glow remains visible, but increasingly fainter, for up to two hours before sunrise or after sunset. The long Martian twilight (compared to Earth’s) is caused by sunlight scattered around to the night side of the planet by abundant high altitude dust. Similar long twilights or extra-colorful sunrises and sunsets sometimes occur on Earth when tiny dust grains that are erupted from powerful volcanoes scatter light high in the atmosphere.

Photo by: NASA/JPL/Texas A&M/Cornell

Image description: NASA’s Exploration Rover Opportunity finished a three-year, 13-mile drive to the enormous Endeavor crater - just a part of which is shown in this brand new image from the Rover.

Endeavour became a destination of interest after NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter detected clay minerals that may have formed in a time period that was warmer, wetter, and more habitable to life than the younger rocky plains that the little robot has mostly encountered.

Learn more about NASA’s Mars Rover mission.