JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Image

Detailed Panorama of Mars' Jezero Crater Delta

Sept. 14, 2022
Intriguing Martian rocks surround NASA's Perseverance rover in this panorama showing an ancient river delta, made from images captured by the Mastcam-Z camera system.

Main image - full resolution version, 93761 x 26305 pixels (3.85 GB)

Figure A image - full resolution version, 93761 x 26305 pixels (3.28 GB)

Intriguing Martian rocks surround NASA's Perseverance rover in this panorama showing an ancient river delta, made from images captured by the Mastcam-Z camera system. This 2.5-billion-pixel mosaic, which combines 1,118 individual frames, is the most detailed landscape panorama ever returned from Mars.

The delta in Mars' Jezero Crater is an area where scientists surmise that, billions of years ago, a river once flowed into a lake and deposited rocks and sediments in a fan shape. Deltas are believed to be the best places on Mars to search for potential signs of ancient microbial life. Arrival at the Jezero delta has been a primary goal of the Perseverance mission since the rover landed in the crater in February 2021.

The panorama shows sedimentary rocks of great interest to scientists. The Perseverance rover has abraded the surface of several rocks in this area and acquired compositional information. It also has collected rock samples that the Mars Sample Return campaign could bring back to Earth in the future, enabling detailed laboratory studies as part of a search for signs of ancient life.

In this enhanced-color view, the color bands of the image have been processed to improve visual contrast and accentuate color differences. Figure A shows the same panorama using a natural-color view. A guided tour of the panorama is available at https://images.nasa.gov/details-JPL-20220906-Perseverance_Explores_Jezero_Crater_Delta_UHD.

These images were taken in 2022 on June 12, 13, 16, 17, and 20 (the 466th, 467th, 470th, 471st, and 474th Martian days, or sols, of Perseverance's mission).

A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).

Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover. Arizona State University leads the operations of the Mastcam-Z instrument, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, on the design, fabrication, testing, and operation of the cameras, and in collaboration with the Neils Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen on the design, fabrication, and testing of the calibration targets.

For more about Perseverance:

mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/

nasa.gov/perseverance

Download JPG
Download TIFF
Mission
Target
  • Mars
Spacecraft
  • Perseverance
Instrument
  • Mastcam-Z
Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Keep Exploring

Perseverance's Parking Spot During Conjunction

Martian Whirlwind Takes the 'Thorofare'

Perseverance AutoNav Avoids a Boulder

Perseverance Makes Tracks in Boulder Field

Perseverance's AutoNav Leads the Way

The Sound of MOXIE at Work on Mars

Perseverance Rover Looks West

Perseverance Rover Watches Ingenuity Mars Helicopter's 54th Flight

Perseverance Checks Out Ingenuity

Perseverance Seen From Above During Flight 54

Related Topics

QUIZZES .

Space Trivia

News .

NASA’s Psyche Delivers First Images and Other Data

News .

NASA’s 6-Pack of Mini-Satellites Ready for Their Moment in the Sun

News .

NASA Orbiter Snaps Stunning Views of Mars Horizon

News .

NASA Uses Two Worlds to Test Future Mars Helicopter Designs

News .

Time Is Running Out to Add Your Name to NASA’s Europa Clipper

News .

NASA’s Mars Fleet Will Still Conduct Science While Lying Low

Robot .

EELS (Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor)

News .

NASA’s Juno Finds Jupiter’s Winds Penetrate in Cylindrical Layers

News .

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Clocks 4,000 Days on Mars

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors
Careers
Internships
The JPL Story
JPL Achievements
Documentary Series
Annual Reports
JPL Plan: 2023-2026
Missions
Current
Past
Future
All
News
All
Earth
Solar System
Stars and Galaxies
Subscribe to JPL News
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Apps
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Robotics at JPL
Events
Lecture Series
Team Competitions
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Visit
Public Tours
Virtual Tour
Directions and Maps
Topics
JPL Life
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Exoplanets
Stars and Galaxies
Robotics
More
Asteroid Watch
NASA's Eyes Visualizations
Universe - Internal Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisition JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisition
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Managers: Veronica McGregor, Randal Jackson
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Naomi Hartono
CL#: 21-0018