El Dorado Test

         This mosaic was acquired by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on Sol 1299 (August 29, 2007).  This scene of the El Dorado dune field and rocky foreground was taken after a planet-encircling dust event in late July and early August 2007 to assess if there was any dust on the Pancam windows. The rover team uses Pancam by taking a picture of the Sun to calculate the optical depth, or more simply stated, to gauge the amount of dust present in the atmosphere above the rover. If there was any dust on the Pancam windows, then images of the Sun would include the dust on the windows in addition to the dust in the atmosphere affecting the optical depth measurements. Since any dust on the windows would be visible in mosaic seams, the science team acquired this four frame mosaic totaling to about a 62 degree wide field of view. Pancam's 753 nm filter was used in making this mosaic.  Two versions are provided at full resolution: a mosaic made from the left eye only, and a stereo anaglyph for 3D viewing through red-blue glasses.

Jim Bell
Pancam Instrument Lead
February 7, 2019