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From high atop a Martian ridge, Curiosity has treated us to a spectacular imaging marathon! The rover is perched at the edge of a dramatic slope overlooking the “Thumb”, a topographic depression that mission planners are eager to explore next week. The view? Absolutely breathtaking. Captured by Curiosity’s Left Navigation Camera on Sol 4636 (Aug. 21, 2025), this panorama peers deep into the Thumb region of Gale Crater.

After wrapping up studies at “Río Frío,” Curiosity is now focused on characterizing this ridge before descending into the valley below. With three sols of science time and plenty of power, the rover’s weekend schedule is jam-packed with high-value investigations. Mastcam is snapping detailed images of nearby boxwork targets, Wallatiri, Wallatiri 2, Mojo, Samaipata, Fort Samaipata, and Río Lluta, while ChemCam fires its laser at Samaipata and Fort Samaipata for compositional data. MAHLI and APXS follow up with close-ups of Vitichi and Tartagalita, capturing both chemistry and texture.

But that’s just the start of this imaging extravaganza. Mastcam’s showstopper is a 44-image mosaic of the north crater rim, taking advantage of unusually clear skies. ChemCam’s RMI also joins in, focusing on distant features like Mishe Mokwa and Dragones, the latter being a key destination for the coming months.

Curiosity’s environmental instruments — DAN, REMS, and RAD, keep their steady watch over the Martian weather, while Navcam performs a suite of atmospheric observations: dust-devil movies, five cloud sequences, and horizon scans. Mastcam will measure dust opacity (tau) to complete the atmospheric profile.

Despite the intense science schedule, the rover’s drive today is a gentle 2-meter bump, just enough to position for the next round of ridge exploration. The team’s excitement is high, this ridge may hold the next clues to Mars’ watery past, waiting just beneath the surface.

@OurGalaxy83

📸 Captured by: Left Navigation Camera
📅 Image Date: August 21, 2025 (Sol 4636) at 16:09:13 UTC
🗓️ Earth Planning Date: Friday, August 22, 2025
✍️ Written by: Conor Hayes, Graduate Student at York University
🎶 Audio Editing: O.G. 83
🎬 Video Editing: O.G. 83
🎨 Visual Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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