Curiosity's uncorrected Mars panorama shows a blue-gray landscape

NASA's Curiosity rover captured a panorama of Gale Crater on Aug. 11 and, unusually, skipped the usual color correction, keeping the dim morning light as recorded. NASA called it an artistic choice; without white balancing, the dust-tinted sky looks pale yellow and rocks appear blue-gray.

• The panorama stitches six Mastcam images taken Aug. 11 around 8:30 a.m. local time
• Mars receives less than half of Earth's sunlight, orbiting about 1.5 times farther from the Sun
• Teams normally remove the red dust's tint to reveal rocks' intrinsic colors
• Curiosity's next target is a field of yardangs about 10 miles wide on Mount Sharp's northwest flank