NASA’s Perseverance Rover Snaps Selfie in Mars’ Western Frontier | JPL
In this animated selfie, NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover looks down at a rocky outcrop nicknamed “Arethusa” and then appears to look into the camera. This video sequence is composed of 61 images taken March 11, 2026, during the rover’s deepest push west beyond Jezero Crater.
The agency’s six-wheeled geologist took this self-portrait during its survey of an ancient landscape that may predate the formation of Jezero Crater itself. The sweeping backdrop represents ancient Martian terrain at a location the science team calls “Lac de Charmes.” On this rocky outcrop, the Perseverance Mars rover made a circular abrasion patch with the western rim of Jezero Crater stretching into the background. The selfie was captured on March 11, the 1,797th Martian day, or sol, of the mission, during the rover’s deepest push west beyond the crater.
Perseverance is in its fifth science campaign, known as the Northern Rim Campaign, of its mission on the Red Planet. The Lac de Charmes region is an example of one of the most scientifically compelling terrain the rover has visited.
“We took this image when the rover was in the ‘Wild West’ beyond the Jezero Crater rim—the farthest west we have been since we landed at Jezero a little over five years ago,” said Katie Stack Morgan, Perseverance’s project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “We had just abraded and analyzed the ‘Arethusa’ outcrop, and the rover was sitting in a spot that provided a great view of both the Jezero Rim and the local terrain outside of the crater.”
During abrading, the rover grinds down a portion of the rock’s surface, allowing the science team to analyze what is inside. The technique enabled the team to determine that the Arethusa outcrop is composed of igneous minerals that likely predate the formation of Jezero Crater. Igneous rocks with large mineral crystals form underground as molten rock cools and solidifies.
Perseverance acquired the selfie—its sixth since landing on Mars in 2021—using the Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering (WATSON) camera mounted at the end of its robotic arm that made 62 precision movements over approximately one hour to build the composite image.
Learn more about how rover selfies are made: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/watch-and-hear-how-nasas-perseverance-rover-took-its-first-selfie/
Release Date: May 12, 2026
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