An impressive time snapshot of a day on Mars, sent by NASA Curiosity – NASA

Until the pause, the Curiosity spacecraft was placed in standby mode — but Hazard Avoidance Cameras (Hazcams) continued to take images. In a first for the spacecraft, Curiosity recorded the passage of a 12-hour Martian day from its fixed location, capturing its changing shadow on the landscape as the sun moved from dawn to dusk.

According to NASA, Curiosity has been instructed to record 12-hour sequences a few days before the session begins in mid-November, until its end on November 25. The team's idea was to see if the rover would be able to capture any atmospheric phenomena that might occur during that period. That didn't happen in the end, but the images taken by the Curiosity spacecraft on November 8 are still stunning. The images have been compiled into two videos showing the view from the front and back of the Hazcaom

Curiosity's Hazcams are typically used to help drivers avoid terrain that could be dangerous to the vehicle. But with the rover parked before the November 11-25 break, cameras were available to capture some scenes. Curiosity took the images from its location at the base of Mount Sharp on Mars from 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. He and the other Mars explorers have since returned to their normal activities.