Curiosity captures Mars cliffs at dawn in Gale Crater

NASA released a new panorama of the Martian landscape taken by the Curiosity rover on August 11 at 8:30 a.m. local Mars time. Six Mastcam frames, processed without white balancing, show wind-carved yardang cliffs on the northwestern slopes of Mount Sharp.

• The panorama stitches together six Mastcam images taken an hour after sunrise
• The yardang layer stretches roughly 10 miles (16 km) across northwestern Mount Sharp
• Scientists suggest the rock may be ash from ancient volcanic eruptions
• Curiosity has climbed 0.6 miles (1 km) and may reach the yardangs by 2027