Explore Mars In 360 Degrees With Rover's New Interactive Photo

Curiosity captures the Red Planet in all its glory.

Experience what life could be like on Mars with this awe-inspiring 360 degree photograph.

NASA released the picture taken by its Curiosity Mars rover on Saturday, just a day after dazzling us with a stunning selfie beamed back from the Red Planet.

The interactive image was posted to the car-sized explorer's official Facebook page:

"Use your smart phone to explore Mars with me in 360 degrees. #FromWhereIStand," the space agency said.

Viewers can maneuver the image, taken on the planet's Namib Dune, to take a closer look at sand grains, Martian rocks and NASA's probe itself.

It has not yet been revealed exactly how the static shot, which appears to be slightly distorted in some places, was obtained.

Some commenters speculate it's a composite of pictures taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imagers camera at the end of the rover's arm, much like the selfie released Friday:

NASA released this selfie taken by its Curiosity Mars rover on Friday.
NASA released this selfie taken by its Curiosity Mars rover on Friday.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Curiosity previously sent back two other selfies -- here and here -- and stitched together a sensational panorama earlier this month.

The probe first landed on Mars on Aug. 6, 2012. Its initial mission, since deemed a success after it discovered an ancient riverbed, was to "determine whether Mars once offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life."

For the last two months, it's been scooping and sieving sand to investigate active dunes and how the wind moves on the Bagnold Dune field lining the northwestern flank of the planet's Mount Sharp.

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