WASHINGTON • United States agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) has released a spectacular panoramic view of the landing site of the Perseverance rover on Mars.

The panorama shows the rim of the Jezero Crater on Sunday, where the rover touched down on Feb 18, and the cliff face of an ancient river delta in the distance.

It was taken by rotating the rover's mast 360 degrees. The mast is equipped with dual, zoomable cameras which can take high-definition video and images.

The panorama is composed of 142 individual images stitched together on Earth, Nasa said on Wednesday.

"We're nestled right in a sweet spot, where you can see different features similar in many ways to features found by Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity at their landing sites," said Professor Jim Bell from Arizona State University's School of Earth and Space Exploration.

Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity were previous missions to Mars.

Nasa said Perseverance's cameras will help scientists assess the geologic history and atmospheric conditions of Jezero Crater, and identify rocks and sediment worthy of closer examination and collection.

On Monday, Nasa released the first audio from Mars, a faint crackling recording of a gust of wind captured by the rover's microphone.

The space agency also released video of the landing of the rover, which is on a mission to search for signs of past life on the Red Planet.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE