Nasa's Curiosity captures rare nighttime image of Mars using robotic arm LEDs

Nasa’s Curiosity rover has captured a rare nighttime image of the Martian surface by using LED lights mounted on the end of its robotic arm, offering scientists an unusual after-dark view of the Red Planet.

According to Nasa, the image was taken on December 6, 2025, during the rover’s 4,740th Martian day (sol) on Mars. The photograph was recorded by Curiosity’s Mast Camera (Mastcam) while the surface below was illuminated by LED lights from the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), a camera attached to the rover’s robotic arm.

The LEDs are typically used during daylight operations to light up areas that remain in deep shadow, such as the interiors of drill holes or inlet tubes leading to instruments inside the rover. Earlier in the mission, scientists also used MAHLI’s lights at night to study layering and other features inside drill holes that could reveal details about a rock’s composition.

Nasa in a release said such nighttime observations had become rare after Curiosity changed its drilling technique, as newer drill holes often emerged too rough and dusty to clearly show internal features.

However, after drilling a rock target nicknamed “Nevado Sajama” on November 13, 2025 (Sol 4,718), the mission team found the drill hole walls smooth enough to attempt nighttime illumination again. Scientists then decided to use the MAHLI LEDs to light the area and capture the image.

The drilling was carried out during Curiosity’s exploration of a region marked by “boxwork” formations – mineral-rich structures that crisscross the landscape for miles and resemble giant spiderwebs when viewed from orbit.

Curiosity was built by Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which is managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California. JPL leads the mission for Nasa’s Science Mission Directorate as part of the agency’s Mars Exploration Program. Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego built and operates both Mastcam and MAHLI.