Shadow of a Martian Robot
What if you saw your shadow on Mars and it wasn't human ? Then you might have been the Opportunity rover exploring Mars. Opportunity explored the red planet from 2004 to 2018, finding evidence of ancient water , and sending breathtaking images across the inner Solar System . Pictured here in 2004, Opportunity looks opposite the Sun into Endurance Crater and sees its own shadow . Two wheels are visible on the lower left and right, while the floor and walls of the unusual crater are visible in the background. Caught in a dust storm in 2018 , last week NASA stopped trying to contact Opportunity and declared the ground-breaking mission , originally planned for only 92 days, complete .