Curiosity Sends Holiday Postcard from Mars

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover created a holiday postcard from Mars by taking images at two times of day on November 18, 2025.
The postcard was made by commanding the rover to take panoramas at 4:15 p.m. and 8:20 a.m. on Sol 4722 and Sol 4723, respectively.
The merged images were later colored with blue representing morning and yellow representing afternoon for an artistic interpretation of the scene.
This postcard is similar to ones taken by the rover in June 2023 and November 2021, showcasing the rover’s ability to capture stunning Martian landscapes.
The addition of color helps highlight details in the landscape, making the postcard a unique and visually appealing representation of Mars from the Curiosity rover’s perspective.

The Curiosity rover is visible at the bottom right of this panorama image. The rover is at the top of a ridge referred to as a boxwork formation. The sky ahead of it is hazy; it's red on the left and blue on the right.

NASA/JPL-Caltech

Team members working with NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover created this “postcard” by commanding the rover to take images at two times of day on Nov. 18, 2025, spanning periods that occurred on both the 4,722nd and 4,723rd Martian days, or sols, of the mission.

The panoramas were captured at 4:15 p.m. on Sol 4,722 and 8:20 a.m. on Sol 4,723 (both at local Mars time), then merged together. Color was later added for an artistic interpretation of the scene with blue representing the morning panorama and yellow representing the afternoon one. The resulting “postcard” is similar to ones the rover took in June 2023 and November 2021. Adding color to these kinds of merged images helps different details stand out in the landscape.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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Q. When was the holiday postcard from Mars created?

A. The holiday postcard from Mars was created by commanding the Curiosity Mars rover to take images at two times of day on November 18, 2025.

Q. How many Martian days (sols) did the mission cover when taking the postcard?

A. The mission covered periods that occurred on both the 4,722nd and 4,723rd Martian days (sols).

Q. What time were the images taken for each panorama?

A. The images were taken at 4:15 p.m. on Sol 4,722 and 8:20 a.m. on Sol 4,723.

Q. How were the merged images created?

A. The merged images were created by taking two panoramas at different times of day and then merging them together.

Q. What was added to the merged images for artistic interpretation?

A. Color was added to the merged images with blue representing the morning panorama and yellow representing the afternoon one.

Q. Are the postcards similar to ones taken by the rover in previous years?

A. Yes, the resulting “postcard” is similar to ones the rover took in June 2023 and November 2021.

Q. Why was color added to the merged images?

A. Color was added to help different details stand out in the landscape.