Curiosity Rover Spots Surprisingly Colourful ̵...

And now for one thing utterly completely different: NASA’s Curiosity rover captured a feather-shaped cloud glowing within the Martian sky shortly after sundown on the Purple Planet.

It dates again to January 2023, however NASA not too long ago featured the picture in an company highlight highlighting the rover’s investigation of the planet’s skies performed final month.

In that investigation, Curiosity captured photographs over the course of 16 minutes on January 17, or Sol 4426 on Mars. The photographs present reddish-green clouds within the Martian twilight. The clouds are noctilucent (or “night time shining”) clouds, attributable to the way in which the Solar’s mild scatters within the dusty Martian environment.

Based on a NASA release, Martian clouds are manufactured from both water ice or carbon dioxide ice. Solely the latter group—which happen at larger altitudes and decrease temperatures than water ice clouds—shine in the way in which proven above. Noctilucent clouds happen on Mars at altitudes between roughly 37 and 50 miles (60 and 80 kilometers) above the floor. When the clouds drift a lot decrease (beneath about 31 miles, or 50 kilometers up) they evaporate as a consequence of rising temperatures within the environment.

Noctilucent clouds aren’t merely an extraterrestrial phenomenon. Rocket launches on Earth can cause the glowing clouds in Earth’s higher environment, that are solely seen shortly after sundown or earlier than dawn—in any other case it’s too brilliant to see them.

Mars’ clouds are available in many sizes and shapes. In 2022, ESA scientists spotted clouds not in contrast to those who type on Earth within the Purple Planet’s skies. The next 12 months, the Perseverance rover was greeted with heavy cloud cover—an indication of the overcast days to come back on the dusty, not-too-distant world. The not too long ago imaged iridescent clouds aren’t a newly found phenomenon however are nonetheless mesmerizing to behold—and nonetheless require loads of scrutiny.

The twilight clouds have been first seen on Mars by NASA’s Pathfinder mission in 1997. Curiosity didn’t repeat the trick till 2017, and final month’s sighting is the fourth Mars 12 months the rover has noticed the clouds.

Late final 12 months, NASA researchers published a examine within the Geophysical Analysis Letters describing how the iridescent impact reveals how ice types and grows in Mars’ environment.

“I’ll all the time keep in mind the primary time I noticed these iridescent clouds and was certain at first it was some coloration artifact,” stated Mark Lemmon, an atmospheric scientist on the Area Science Institute in Colorado and the examine’s lead creator, in a NASA release. “Now it’s grow to be so predictable that we will plan our pictures prematurely; the clouds present up at precisely the identical time of 12 months.”

The discharge notes that these clouds haven’t been seen by rovers in different elements of Mars. It might be that the area Curiosity roves—on Gale Crater’s Mount Sharp—could also be predisposed to internet hosting the clouds.