NASA’s Curiosity rover recently captured stunning images of a glowing, feather-shaped cloud on Mars, just hours after sunset. The phenomenon was spotted on January 17, 2023, in the Martian twilight zone.
The cloud is known as noctilucent or “night shining” clouds, caused by the Sun’s light scattering in the thin Martian atmosphere. These clouds are made of carbon dioxide ice and occur at altitudes between 37-50 miles above the surface.
Notably, this sighting is not a new discovery, but rather a repeat performance that has been observed on Mars several times before. In fact, NASA’s Pathfinder mission detected similar clouds in 1997, while Curiosity rover captured them again in 2017 and last month.
The study highlights the unique characteristics of these clouds, which reveal how ice forms and grows in the Martian atmosphere. Researchers can now plan their shots to capture these clouds at the exact same time every year.
This sighting is significant because it provides insight into the atmospheric conditions on Mars and may be specific to a particular region, such as Gale Crater’s Mount Sharp.
Source: https://gizmodo.com/curiosity-rover-spots-surprisingly-colorful-twilight-clouds-on-mars-2000563751