Sunset on Mars from Pathfinder Images

This illustration is a composite that creatively combines two previously released images from Mars Pathfinder for a sunset scene in Ares Valles in July 1997. The combined images are PIA01547 for the sky, and a portion of PIA01466 for the terrain. The sky image is a radiometrically correct, true-color sunset, with the sky near the Sun a pale blue color. The terrain image has been artistically adjusted to match the approximate time of day of the sky image (4:10 p.m. local solar time at the landing site) and to provide a seamless horizon. The two source images are composites of several frames from the Imager for Mars Pathfinder camera. Additional information is available in the captions for the original images.

Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998.