NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has recently taken a look at the Martian sky and captured stunning clouds of the red planet.
As per Forbes, unlike Earth’s fluffy clouds, Mars’ clouds are thinner and more delicate, resembling a sheer veil.
The Curiosity rover used one of its navigation cameras, which are located on its “head,” to take pictures of the clouds.
One of these pictures shows a rocky hill with thin, fog like clouds above, known as noctilucent clouds.
Alex Innanen, a York University atmospheric scientist, wrote in the update, “Even though the sun has set in Gale Crater, the clouds are high enough in the atmosphere that the sun still shines on them, making them seem to almost glow in the sky.”
Mars clouds are usually composed of water-ice or frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice).
It is pertinent to note that the clouds on Mars change with the seasons. Right now, it is autumn in the Gale Crater, an area where the Curiosity rover is located.
As per the outlet, Mars celebrated its own New Year on November 12. A day on Mars, called a “sol,” is a bit longer than an Earth day, lasting 24 hours and 39 minutes. Interestingly, a Mars year is about 687 Earth days.
Scientific value of Mars’ cloud:
These clouds are not just beautiful but also valuable for scientific research.
Earlier, NASA explained in a statement, “Studying clouds helps us to understand the atmosphere and how the water cycle works on Mars today, such as how water vapor is transported by the atmospheric circulation and how temperatures and water abundances vary with height.”
