Opportunity Self-Portrait, March 2014

This self-portrait of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows effects of wind events that had cleaned much of the accumulated dust off the rover's solar panels. It combines multiple frames taken by Opportunity's panoramic camera (Pancam) through three different color filters from March 22 to March 24, 2014, the 3,611th through 3,613th Martian days, or sols, of Opportunity's work on Mars.

For a comparison to what the rover looked like before a series of cleaning events in March, see a similar self-portrait taken January 3 through January 6, 2014, at PIA17759.

With the cleaner arrays and lengthening winter days, Opportunity's solar arrays were generating more than 620 watt-hours per day in mid-April 2014, compared to less than 375 watt-hours per day in January 2014.

This image is presented as a vertical projection in approximately true color. The mast on which the Pancam is mounted does not appear in the image, though its shadow does.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University/Arizona State University

Note: For more information, see PIA18080: Self-Portrait by Freshly Cleaned Opportunity Mars Rover, False Color and NASA Rover Opportunity's Selfie Shows Clean Machine.