Martian dust devil photobombs NASA Perseverance rover in milestone selfie

According to Justin Maki, imaging lead at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the selfie offers a detailed glimpse of both the rugged Martian terrain and the rover's condition. "The well-illuminated scene and relatively clear atmosphere allowed us to capture a dust devil located 3 miles to the north in Neretva Vallis," Maki said.

The bright lighting in the image results from the Sun's high angle, which bathed the rover in light and cast a distinct shadow behind it. Just ahead of the rover lies the Bell Island borehole, a recent sampling site targeted by Perseverance.

The selfie, a composite of 59 images taken by the WATSON camera mounted on the robotic arm, showcases the rover's remote sensing mast turned toward the camera. To create an alternate version of the image featuring the mast focused on the borehole, WATSON captured three additional shots.

"Each WATSON image has to have its own unique field of view," said Megan Wu of Malin Space Science Systems. "That means we had to make 62 precision movements of the robotic arm. The whole process takes about an hour, but it's worth it. Having the dust devil in the background makes it a classic."

The image also reveals how much Martian dust has collected on the rover. Since its arrival, Perseverance has abraded and examined 37 rocks and boulders, gathered 26 rock cores (25 of which are sealed), and traveled over 22 miles (36 kilometers) across Mars.

"After 1,500 sols, we may be a bit dusty, but our beauty is more than skin deep," said Art Thompson, Perseverance's project manager at JPL. "Our multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator is giving us all the power we need. All our systems and subsystems are in the green and clicking along, and our amazing instruments continue to provide data that will feed scientific discoveries for years to come."