Seen from above, NASA's Perseverance Rover is little more than a tiny dot in the Red Planet's immense desert. But the sight is still an "awesome" one, according to a specialist from the Jet Propulsion Lab.

The US space agency has released a photo showing the rover module as seen from its own remote-controlled helicopter, called Ingenuity.

The image was taken when the helicopter was about 500 metres away from the Mars rover, and 12m up.

The image beamed back from the helicopter's cameras shows what looks like sand dunes, with a field of boulders in the distance and a range of hills beyond that.

The rover's in there somewhere, but you need to zoom in a little closer to see it — the grey speck just off centre towards the top of this image.

A higher resolution version of the photo is available on NASA's website.

"Ingenuity's aerial images are awesome – but even better when you get to play 'Where's Perseverance?' with them," Robert Hogg, senior systems engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, said.

"Once you find our rover and zoom in, you can make out some details, like the wheels, remote sensing mast, and the MMRTG (Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator) on the aft end."

According to NASA, Ingenuity began as a technological demonstration to prove that powered, controlled flight on Mars was possible, but is now carrying out operational missions.

The space agency is investigating how a "rotorcraft can add an aerial dimension to missions like Perseverance, scouting possible areas of scientific interest and offering detailed views of nearby areas too hazardous for the rover to explore".