NASA's Curiosity Rover Captures Stunning Footage of Mars' Twilight Clouds

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NASA's Curiosity rover has recorded captivating footage of "noctilucent" clouds on Mars, showcasing delicate red-and-green clouds drifting high above the Martian surface. Captured on January 17, these twilight clouds, which are made of carbon dioxide ice, form between 37 to 50 miles (60 to 80 kilometers) above Mars, where temperatures allow the gas to condense into ice. According to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the video compresses 16 minutes of footage into a sequence sped up by approximately 480 times.

This marks the fourth Martian year Curiosity has observed these clouds, typically seen during the southern hemisphere's early fall. Mark Lemmon, an atmospheric scientist involved with the Curiosity mission, noted that their appearance has become predictable enough to plan observations accordingly. Scientists aim to understand why these twilight clouds are not observed elsewhere on Mars. The Perseverance rover, for instance, has yet to detect them since its landing in 2021.

The findings contribute to a growing map of cloud formations on Mars, highlighting the planet's atmospheric complexity.

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