APOD: 2026 October 3 – Selfie at Vera Rubin Ridge

What this means

NASA's October 3, 2026 Astronomy Picture of the Day presents a 61-exposure mosaic of the Curiosity rover at Vera Rubin Ridge on Mars, recorded on mission sol 1943, corresponding to January 23, 2018 on Earth. The panorama combines images from Curiosity's Mars Hand Lens Imager with background frames from its Mastcam; NASA credits NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS for the image and Andrew Bodrov for the panorama, and notes that Curiosity had accumulated one kilometer of elevation gain during its climb from Gale Crater toward Mount Sharp by August 26, 2026.

Official release

Source material from NASA. The wording below is the issuer’s statement.

APOD

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

Selfie at Vera Rubin Ridge

Explanation: On sol 1943 of its journey of exploration across the surface of Mars, the Curiosity Rover recorded this selfie at the south rim of Vera Rubin Ridge. Of course a sol is a Martian solar day, about 40 minutes longer than an Earth day. Curiosity's sol 1943 corresponds to Earth date January 23, 2018. Also composed as an interactive 360 degree VR, the mosaicked panorama combines 61 exposures taken by the small car-sized rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI). Frames containing the imager's arm have been edited out while the extended background used was taken by the rover's Mastcam on sol 1903. At the top of the rover's mast, sitting above the Mastcam, the laser-firing ChemCam housing blocks out the distant, 5 kilometer high peak of Mount Sharp. On Earth date August 26, 2026, Curiosity marked an total elevation gain of 1 kilometer in its trek from the floor of Gale Crater up the slope of Mount Sharp.

APOD's email for image submissions has changed. Please see: APOD Submissions.

Tomorrow's picture: Sunday's Childe

Date

October 3, 2026

Credit:

Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS - Panorama: Andrew Bodrov

Authors & editors:

Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, Robert Nemiroff, Keighley Rockcliffe

A service of:

ASD at NASA / GSFC,

NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

Random APOD Generator

Yesterday's Image

APOD: 2026 October 2 – The Complete Sharpless Catalog: 313 Nebulas

Tomorrow's Image

Release text attributed to NASA. Consult the official publication for any subsequent corrections or updates.