2026, October 16: NASA’s Curiosity Rover Catches Stunning Martian Dawn

October 16, 2026: Wind-carved cliffs are recorded in an image from NASA’s Curiosity rover.

by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:04 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 6:08 p.m. CDT.  Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.

Sunlight illuminates wind-carved cliffs in a dramatic new image.

Mars view from Curiosity
Image Caption – The captivating shapes of wind-carved crags called yardangs are revealed in this zoomed-in crop of a broader panorama captured by NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover on Aug. 11, 2026. Scientists are eager to learn more about how the yardang layer formed. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

A newly released panorama captured by NASA’s Curiosity rover offers the most detailed view yet of distant, wind-carved Martian cliffs, highlighting features the mission’s scientists have long been waiting to see up close. The scene was snapped at 8:30 a.m. local Mars time, showing striking blue hues in the foreground as bright morning light illuminates crags known as yardangs on the horizon.

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I am still on a writing hiatus, but will return soon.  Otherwise, I am posting current astronomy and space news. – JLH

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