Curiosity POTD
NASA Mars Curiosity rover latest image widget & current sol static block.
Consider an alternative
Curiosity POTD shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 2 years ago, and scores 33/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (10+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in over a year
- Only tested up to WordPress 6.7 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & supportDaily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Curiosity POTD stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| APOD | #1 |
| astronomy | #5 |
| block | >100 |
| planet | #28 |
| widget | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
About Curiosity POTD
From the official readme · v2.1Description
This plugin adds a widget to display the NASA Mars Curiosity rover photos and a static block to display current sol.
A good solution if you are interested in astronomy news and want to put a space picture on your website.
Widget: It provide the photo, a description with the martian version of date (SOL) and the rover camera random displayed.
Block: It provide just a string with the stamp of martian day at that time you put it.
Very easy to configure and compatible with a lot of WordPress versions.
Widget Option
- Title
- NASA API key
NASA API key
The default NASA API key (DEMO_KEY) works fine but you can get one at:
https://api.nasa.gov/index.html
Version 2.0
This plugin add a static block for Gutenberg that display current sol (martian day version) of Curiosity into a paragraph tag.
The date don’t change after the block is added. It’s just a print to put in your article the Curiosity sol at that time.
The plugin remove the block editor for widget.
Version 2.1
The plugin widget retriew the last sol with photos available.
Slogan
To infinity and beyond!
Installation
- Upload curiosity-potd directory to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory
- Activate the plugin through the Plugins menu in WordPress
- Go to the Widget admin section and add Curiosity POTD to your sidebar
- Add custom NASA API key in widget options or use the DEMO_KEY default value
Version 2.0
Select Curiosity SOL static block and that’s it.
Screenshots
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
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Best Curiosity POTD alternatives
All APOD plugins →| Rank | Plugin | Active installs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
NASA Picture of the Day
Allow your readers to enjoy NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day on your blog with this easy…
|
10+ |
| 3 |
Hello Star
Yet another plugin inspired by Hello Dolly. This plugin shows information about the 88…
|
10+ |
FAQ
Curiosity POTD: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 10, 2026
Is Curiosity POTD free?
Yes. Curiosity POTD is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Curiosity POTD safe to use in 2026?
Curiosity POTD shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 2 years ago, and scores 33/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Curiosity POTD?
Curiosity POTD is active on 10+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 3,818 times since it launched in January 2019. It was downloaded 52 times in the last 30 days.
Does Curiosity POTD work with WordPress 7.1?
Curiosity POTD is officially tested up to WordPress 6.7.10, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does Curiosity POTD need?
Curiosity POTD requires PHP 5.6 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Curiosity POTD last updated?
The latest version, 2.1, was released on February 12, 2025 (2 years ago).
Who makes Curiosity POTD?
Curiosity POTD is developed and maintained by Andrea Benzi.
What are the best alternatives to Curiosity POTD?
The most popular alternatives to Curiosity POTD are NASA Picture of the Day (10+ installs) and Hello Star (10+ installs).
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