From the Earth to the Solar System: Mars

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME: It may look like a familiar sight, but this sunset is not from Earth. This lovely, otherworldly evening was captured by the rover Spirit in 2005 as it peered toward the western sky from its perch in Gusev Crater on Mars. Launched in 2003, Spirit and its sister rover Opportunity were expected to last only a few months in the harsh Martian environment, but both have continued to operate for years. Like no other spacecraft, the Mars Exploration Rovers have afforded us a perspective much like our own on another world, making Mars feel that much more like home. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Texas A&M/Cornell

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