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4-Billion-Pixel Panorama View From Curiosity Rover

Posted by samzenpus on from the take-a-look dept.

SternisheFan points out that there is a great new panorama made from shots from the Curiosity Rover. "Sweep your gaze around Gale Crater on Mars, where NASA's Curiosity rover is currently exploring, with this 4-billion-pixel panorama stitched together from 295 images. ...The entire image stretches 90,000 by 45,000 pixels and uses pictures taken by the rover's two MastCams. The best way to enjoy it is to go into fullscreen mode and slowly soak up the scenery — from the distant high edges of the crater to the enormous and looming Mount Sharp, the rover's eventual destination."

14 of 101 comments (clear)

  1. it sure would be nice to get a PNG.. by wierd_w · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Flash player embeds are great and all, but I would rather have a good, high resoluton image that I can span over my multi monitor setup instead as my desktop image.

    You know, because I think its cool? I understand that the photographer worked hard to make it, and can release however he damnd well wants, but I would still like this in PNG format.

    1. Re:it sure would be nice to get a PNG.. by one+eyed+kangaroo · · Score: 5, Insightful

      True enough, but I'm just enjoying it for what it represents, a startling view of another planet.
      I am quite awestruck by this, and find that all the cynicism has drained out of me ;-)

    2. Re:it sure would be nice to get a PNG.. by CastrTroy · · Score: 3, Informative

      Here's one I found within 1 minute of searching on Google.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    3. Re:it sure would be nice to get a PNG.. by wierd_w · · Score: 3, Funny

      But.... that's a JPEG!

      (Still saved it anyway though.)

    4. Re:it sure would be nice to get a PNG.. by Spikeles · · Score: 4, Informative

      Not the exact same picture, but here one with a 88mb TIFF. Here's another with an 88mb TIFF, and here is a whole lot more for your desktop pleasure.

      --
      I don't need to test my programs.. I have an error correcting modem.
    5. Re:it sure would be nice to get a PNG.. by stereopticon · · Score: 4, Informative

      I hate to be the one to tell you this, but that's not the same panorama. Heck, it's not even the same part of Mars. It's from the older robot, you can see the solar panels at the bottom. Curiosity doesn't have solar panels. Looking at the EXIF meta data embedded in that file, it's from 2005.

    6. Re:it sure would be nice to get a PNG.. by raftpeople · · Score: 2

      Looks like Bakersfield

  2. Re:Why is there a joystick on the rover? by SternisheFan · · Score: 2

    It looks like one, but it's not a joystick, it's a sundial. NASA uses it to fine tune Curiosity's positioning system

  3. Sometimes science gives me a woody by gubon13 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm trying to understand the sheer awesomeness of the technologies necessary to get to this point where I can have some sense of what it's like to be on Mars, and it's a bit of a pant-tenter...

    1. Re:Sometimes science gives me a woody by rsmith-mac · · Score: 3, Insightful

      We really do live in the future. I'm looking at a panoramic, high definition landscape of another planet from my couch. How can you not get excited about it?!

      People spend all of this time bitching about all the things that are wrong in the world, and they only half-realize all the awesome things that go on such as this. We live in the future and I wouldn't have it any other way.

      P.S. Not all of us are male, you insensitive clod. Though the realization that I'm now wetter than Mars from looking at Mars has a certain tinge of irony to it

  4. In a year ... by PPH · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... something will have snuck up on the rover and written WASH ME in its dust with their tentacle.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  5. Re:Another use for Curiosity ? by icebike · · Score: 2

    Wait till the next dust storm comes along. Not so clear then.

    --
    Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
  6. Re:Dirty wheels? by SternisheFan · · Score: 2

    So I was noticing how filthy the wheels are... and I'm wondering, if the planets as dry as it's supposed to be, why would dirt be sticking to anything? What's making it sticky? Static? I'm a bit perplexed by what seems to be moist earth rather than desert sands as I'd expect.

    I googled that question and it came up with this page (linked below). Scroll down to see some very fine closeup pics of the rovers dirty wheels.

    The best comments seem to agree that it could be a combination of very fine dust and static involved.

    http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread880460/pg1

  7. Wow, the rover! by m.alessandrini · · Score: 3, Informative

    Am I the only one looking amazed at the rover and ignoring the landscape? It's like my child's robot dreams starting slowly to come true.