FP trendMarch 23, 2021 4:07:26 PM
A car-sized rover that landed on Mars on August 6, 2012, better known as the Curiosity rover, has captured stunning images of clouds passing over the Martian surface. Shot by cameras connected to the top of Curiosity, the five-minute clip shows clouds over the surface of Mars. The images were captured on March 19, 2021 and have been shared by North Carolina State University scientist Paul Byrne.
According to a report published in the Independent, the navigation camera has captured five minutes of time on Curiosity in eight independent visuals that have come together. Mars’ “noctilucent” clouds in the video can be illuminated by the sun even at night due to their altitude above the surface.
Clouds in the sky, passing gently over.
On Mars, Friday, March 19, 2021. pic.twitter.com/jJpemPefIV
– Prof. Paul Byrne (@ThePlanetaryGuy) March 20, 2021
It looks like the clouds seen in the video are moving similarly to those on Earth. But the report mentions that because of the large difference in atmospheres of the two planets, the clouds must have formed in different ways. Mars’ atmosphere is thinner than Earth’s. Although the atmosphere surrounding our home plant is rich in nitrogen and oxygen, the atmosphere on Mars is rich in carbon dioxide, European Space Agency he stated.
Comparing the atmospheres of Mars and Earth. Image: ESA
The Phoenix lander detected snow on the surface in 2008, according to the Independent. But unlike Earth, snow on Mars is made up of carbon dioxide. The thin atmosphere of Mars causes clear clouds to form above the surface, while the Earth’s clouds are mostly thick. Dust formed when space debris impacts the planet’s atmosphere is also believed to be responsible for cloud formation.
The red planet, considered an “alternative” world that humans can inhabit in the future, is half the size of Earth..