This nighttime photo from Mars is a chilling reminder of how alone the Red Planet really is
Published on Feb 04, 2026 at 12:08 AM (UTC-5)
by Molly Davidson
Last updated on Feb 04, 2026 at 3:05 AM (UTC-5)
Edited by
Kate Bain
Most Mars photos show the planet in daylight.
But this one wasn’t taken in the light of the Sun.
It was captured in the middle of a Martian night, with only a small patch of ground visible.
While, rather unnervingly, everything else disappears into black.
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A rare look at Mars after dark
The image was taken by NASA’s Curiosity rover during a Martian night, using LED lights mounted on the end of its robotic arm.
Those lights are aimed straight into a hole Curiosity drilled into a rock called Nevado Sajama, creating a bright spotlight surrounded by total blackness.
Mars nights last just over 12 hours, during which temperatures can drop to around -100°F, and there’s no artificial light anywhere on the planet.
No cities, no streetlights, not even a tiny glow in the distance.
So when Curiosity turns on its LEDs, that small circle of light is literally the only thing glowing on Mars.
The hole itself was drilled on November 13, during Curiosity’s 4,740th Martian day.
Weeks later, the team realized the hole was smooth enough to examine, prompting the nighttime image.
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Seeing inside the planet, one drill hole at a time
The photo came from Curiosity’s Mars Hand Lens Imager, one of 17 cameras onboard the rover.
It uses white and UV LED lights, which let it take clear, true-color photos even in complete darkness.
And we mean complete darkness.
Some of the most interesting spots to study on Mars never see sunlight, including drill holes and the inside of rocks.
Drilling on Mars, unsurprisingly, hasn’t always been smooth sailing.
Problems that showed up in 2018 changed how Curiosity makes holes, and many ended up too rough or dusty to see much inside.
But this one was different.
The surrounding area is filled with strange boxwork formations, rocky patterns that look like giant spiderwebs when viewed from above.
The image helped scientists better understand the rock’s structure in that region.
Photos like this don’t show Mars at its most dramatic.
They show it at its most honest.
Quiet, unlit, and being studied one drill hole at a time.
With roles at TEXT Journal, Bowen Street Press, Onya Magazine, and Swine Magazine on her CV, Molly joined Supercar Blondie in June 2025 as a Junior Content Writer. Having experience across copyediting, proofreading, reference checking, and production, she brings accuracy, clarity, and audience focus to her stories spanning automotive, tech, and lifestyle news.
