NASA’s Curiosity rover captures extraordinary clouds on Mars, “shining at night”

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29 May 2021 21:15 G.M.T.

Two Earth years ago, scientists discovered that this rare cloud in the dry sky of Mars formed earlier than expected and at a higher altitude than normal.

NASA General This Saturday’s images of extraordinary clouds “shining at night” in the Girl of the Crater on Mars captured by the Curiosity rover. This is a compilation of a total of 21 photographs taken by the instrument last March to study such formations in the atmosphere of the Red Planet.

Two Earth years ago (one Mars year), scientists discovered that these rare clouds in the dry sky of Mars formed above the instrument before the expected time. This year, experts were able to document “Storms full of ice crystals The light of the setting sun shines, and some of them glow in color, ”since the end of January.

This is in contrast to the normal clouds that form at an altitude of 60 km above the surface of Mars The highest Specialists try to establish the exact height. This difference can be explained by the cloud cover of the Red Planet: the streams contain icy water and may have been recently observed. Frozen carbon dioxide (Dry ice).

The clouds are listed as follows noctilucentes (At night, shining in Latin), because its ice crystals capture the fading light of the sun. Bright shine As the sky darkens, the sun begins to perceive these clouds as they descend from the heights.

Curiosity has the potential Monitor This kind of cloud with black and white navigation cameras and mastcam color device.