NASA's Curiosity rover takes a closer look at 'spiderwebs' on Mars | Space photo of the day for July 1, 2025
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NASA's Curiosity rover takes photos of low-ridges across Mars. | Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSSFor over a decade, NASA's Curiosity rover has been capturing images of Mars as scientists continue to study the planet's structures and surface.
Curiosity's goal as it travels across Mars is to look for unique signs of life, including signs of possible ancient life on the planet.
What is it?
Curiosity captured this 360-degree image after traveling to an area full of low ridges called boxwork patterns. These patterns look like spiderwebs, as NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter saw in 2006.
Since its arrival on Mars from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station via an Atlas V rocket in 2012, Curiosity has been exploring the surface of the Red Planet, including these low ridges. In the middle of the photo, Curiosity's tracks can be seen as its wheels its way across the dust.
Where is it?
Curiosity took this photo at the base of Mount Sharp, a 3 mile (5 km) tall mountain within Mars' Gale Crater. In the far distance of the image to the right is the "Texoli" butte, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
The 360-degree panorama shows the low-ridge boxwork pattern of Mars' landscape, with Curiosity's tire tracks in the center of the image and the "Texoli" butte in the back right. | Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSSWhy is it amazing?
This panorama image was created by combining 291 images from Curiosity's Mast Camera, or Mastcam, taken over three days in mid-May 2025, according to JPL.
The boxwork pattern Curiosity captured is of particular interest to astronomers because its ridges were created by ancient groundwater flowing across Mars surface. The minerals in this groundwater helped harden the surface, and after thousands of years of being sandblasted by atmospheric winds, low ridges appeared at the foot of Mount Sharp.
While this ancient groundwater eventually disappeared from the planet entirely, astronomers believe it might have had nutrients to sustain ancient microbes. Using rovers like Curiosity, astronomers can get samples to determine whether there was life on Mars at some point in the planet's past.
Want to learn more?
You can read more about ancient Martian water and NASA's rovers as astronomers continue to study the red planet.
Fascinating glimpse into the red planet's mysterious 'spiderweb-like formations', courtesy of NASA’S Curiosity rover. Anticipated space exploration indeed!
A truly unique and compelling image from July 1st, highlighting NASA's Curiosity rover providing a closer look at 'spiderweb-like structures', further fueling our fascination with the mysteries of Mars.
NASA's Curiosity rover taking a fresh look at the mysterious 'spiderweb-like structures,' akin to phenomena unknown in our planet, truly igniting endless speculations about life beyond Earth.
That's not your typical spiderweb; it’sthe Mars Curiosity Rover investigating the unknown on a red planet -见证科学探索的奇迹，七月一日太空照片日再添新发现。
Fascinating glimpse into the red planet's unexpected beauty, NASA’Curiosity rover captures delicate spiderweb traces amidst its unique Martian landscapes. A testament to micro-organisms persistent in even our most deserted truth hunt!
