NASA releases Perseverance’s westernmost Mars panorama and new rover selfie

Wednesday 13 May 2026 - 07:03

By: Dakir Madiha

NASA releases Perseverance’s westernmost Mars panorama and new rover selfie

NASA has unveiled a new collection of images captured by the Mars rover Perseverance, including a sweeping panorama of a region known as Arbot and the rover’s sixth selfie since landing on the Red Planet in 2021. The visuals were taken during the rover’s farthest westward journey beyond the rim of Jezero Crater and provide scientists with an unprecedented look at some of the oldest rocks ever examined during the mission.

The Arbot panorama was assembled from 46 images collected on April 5, 2026, during the mission’s 1,882nd Martian day. The scene reveals a rugged landscape shaped by wind erosion and marked by sharply contrasting rock formations. NASA scientists described the panorama as one of the most geologically diverse environments encountered by the rover so far. An enhanced color version was also processed to better distinguish the chemical and structural differences between rock layers spread across the terrain.

Researchers believe the area contains rock formations dating back nearly four billion years. Scientists identified possible megabreccias, large fragments created by a massive meteor impact linked to the formation of the nearby Isidis Planitia basin roughly 3.9 billion years ago. Unlike the sedimentary deposits previously studied inside Jezero Crater’s ancient river delta, several formations beyond the crater appear to be extrusive igneous rocks and impact-generated material that predate the crater itself. Mission scientists also pointed to what may be an exposed magmatic dike, a vertical intrusion of hardened magma revealed after softer surrounding rock eroded over billions of years.

NASA also released an animated selfie taken on March 11 at a site called “Lac de Charmes.” The image was built from 61 individual shots captured by the rover’s WATSON camera mounted on its robotic arm. The selfie places Perseverance beside a rocky outcrop known as “Arethusa,” where scientists determined the rock contains igneous minerals likely formed before Jezero Crater existed. Mission officials said the rover had reached its most western position since touchdown and has now traveled nearly 42 kilometers across Mars while collecting 27 rock core samples for future analysis.

Separately, NASA confirmed that its Psyche spacecraft will perform a close flyby of Mars on May 15 as part of its journey toward the metal rich asteroid Psyche. The probe is expected to pass roughly 2,800 miles above the Martian surface at a speed exceeding 12,000 mph. Scientists plan to use the maneuver to gather thousands of observations through Psyche’s multispectral imaging system and search for thin dust rings that may orbit the planet.