NASA's Curiosity rover captures first sun rays on Mars

LOS ANGELES, March 7 (Xinhua) -- NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has for the first time captured sun rays on Mars, the agency said on Monday.

The rover captured the sun rays shining through clouds at sunset on Feb. 2, the 3,730th Martian day of the mission.

It was the first time that sun rays, also known as crepuscular rays, have been viewed so clearly on Mars, said NASA.

In addition to the image of sun rays, Curiosity captured a set of colorful clouds shaped like a feather on Jan. 27. When illuminated by sunlight, certain types of clouds can create a rainbow-like display called iridescence.

The Curiosity rover captured both the sun rays and iridescent clouds as panoramas, each of which was stitched together from 28 images sent to Earth. The images have been processed to emphasize the highlights, according to NASA.

Curiosity is the largest and most capable rover ever sent to Mars. It was launched on Nov. 26, 2011 and landed on Mars on Aug. 5, 2012.