NASA shared an unusual photo taken by the Curiosity mission. It shows the rover’s “night shift.”
The Curiosity rover is equipped with LED lights. They are part of the MAHLI camera mounted at the end of its robotic arm. Sometimes scientists use them during the day to illuminate areas that are in shadow, such as the interior of boreholes and intake tubes leading to instruments at the bottom of the rover.
In the earlier stages of the mission, the Curiosity team also used these LEDs at night to search for layers or other features on the walls of drill holes that would help them better understand the composition of the rock. But since the mission changed its drilling method, the holes have become too rough and dusty to see any details.
However, Curiosity recently used LEDs again at night. This happened after drilling a rock called Nevado Sajama on November 13, 2025. After studying the images, the mission specialists noticed that the walls of the borehole were smooth enough to attempt to find layers, and decided to try illuminating the borehole at night. It is this operation that is captured in the image presented.
The drilling at Nevado Sajama was carried out during an exploration of a region full of geological formations known as “boxworks.” These formations crisscross the surface for many kilometers and, when viewed from space, look like giant spider webs.
According to NASA
