NASA’s New Mars Photos Offer Peek At Its Pearly, Glowing Clouds
Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
In an exciting glimpse into life on Mars, NASA has managed to capture images of a rare cloudy day on the Red Planet.
Due to the planet’s thin, dry atmosphere, clouds don’t often form in the sky.
However, the space agency spotted this rare occurrence earlier this year, allowing it to capture images of wispy clouds filled with ice crystals, which shimmer while reflecting light from the setting sun.
In fact, the team has already made a new discovery: that the clouds formed at higher altitudes than typical on Mars.
The clouds photographed by the Curiosity rover were found higher up in the atmosphere, where it’s even colder, leading scientists to believe that they could be made of frozen carbon dioxide, or what we commonly know as dry ice.
Check out the shining clouds below, as the ice crystals catch the fading light, causing the clouds to “glow” against the sky.
Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
[via NASA, images via NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS]
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