NASA, Zuckerberg, Share Stunning 360-Degree Mars Video

By dragging the cursor around the video, viewers can change the vantage point and look at the video from a variety of angles to get a surreal look at the harsh yet beautiful desert dunes on Mars

NASA and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared a stunning video that explores the surface of Mars in 360 degrees.

Zuckerberg posted the video on his Facebook account on Sunday night showing NASA's use of the technology on their Curiosity Mars Rover.

"This is a neat 360 video from the surface of Mars," Zuckerberg wrote. "You can look around like you are actually on the planet."

The 360 video technology was created by Facebook engineers and allows smart phone users to explore the red planet in 360 degrees. By dragging the cursor around the video, viewers can change the vantage point and look at the video from a variety of angles to get a surreal look at the harsh yet beautiful desert dunes on Mars.

This isn't the first time NASA released 360 material from the rover. On Jan. 19, the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) took selfies by combining 57 separate images.

The technology used to create these images was released in September 2015 on Facebook's Newsfeed. To create 360 videos, a special set of cameras is used to record all 360 degrees of a scene simultaneously. This means that when the video is playing on Facebook, you can choose what angle you want to see it from. On the web you can do this by dragging around the video with your cursor, and on mobile devices you can drag it with your finger — or even just by turning your device.

Facebook has recently opened up the format, offering a dedicated site and support for those who want to start experimenting with the videos and allowing direct uploads by content creators who are using consumer cameras from Ricoh Theta, Giroptic, and IC Real Tech.

Advertisers have started looking at the technology as well, with companies like AT&T, Samsung, and Disney all slated to begin production of 360 degree video ads.

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