Dauphin

         The Opportunity rover acquired this false color mosaic of weathered rock and blueberries on Sol 1679 (Oct. 14, 2008).  At this point in the mission, Opportunity was quickly heading south.  The team decided to make a short stop at Cape Agulhas, where this mosaic was taken, before heading west then south, leaving Victoria Crater behind.  The short stopover provided geological information on the southwest side of Victoria Crater, providing scientists with more well-rounded data of the crater.  Also, it is notable that the dusty sapphire windows which Opportunity had been dealing with for several months had begun to clear up, so that subframing to cut out the dusty portions was no longer always necessary (as in this mosaic).  The mosaic's field of view is roughly 30 degrees across and 15 degrees high.
         This mosaic was created using Pancam's 753-nm, 535-nm, and 432-nm filters. Two versions are offered here at full resolution: an approximate true color rendering, and a false color stretch to bring out subtle color differences in the scene.

Jim Bell
Pancam Instrument Lead
September 20, 2009