Space: A sunrise on Mars was captured by NASA

While waiting to be able to set foot on Mars in the near future, as billionaire Elon Musk would like to do, new images of the Red Planet have been arriving regularly over the past few years via the various observation missions launched by the United States (Rover, Curiosity, InSight, etc.) and China (Zhurong).

The latest, collected on Sunday 10 April by NASA's InSight probe, shows us what a Martian sunrise looks like in timelapse.

Sunrise on Mars is not a first for InSight

While these images are enough to leave most space enthusiasts dreaming, it is nevertheless useful to note that these are not really the first images we have of a sunrise on Mars. In April 2019, InSight had already captured comparable images, as did the Curiosity and Opportunity rovers.

As a reminder, InSight is a stationary lander designed to study the tremors of Mars and the interior of the Red Planet. The probe landed in the Martian region of Elysium Planitia in November 2018 and is currently in an extended phase after completing its main mission of the full Martian year, a year on Mars lasts 687 days.

Some problems on Mars

In January 2022, InSight also went into 'safe mode' after a huge dust storm on the Red Planet. Its solar panels were unable to generate enough energy to complete its scientific mission.

But NASA announced shortly afterwards, on 15 February, that the rover had managed to accumulate enough energy and was back in working order. It is now continuing its science mission, which should last until at least December.

This article was translated from Gentside FR.

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