Matías S. Zavia
WriterAerospace and energy industries journalist at Xataka.
For more than 12 years, the Curiosity rover has been unlocking the secrets of the Martian terrain. But this time, it’s not looking at the ground—it’s looking at the sky.
Strange clouds. This week, NASA released a mesmerizing image taken by Curiosity’s Mastcam on Jan. 17, during the mission’s 4,426th sol.
The image captures bright, colorful clouds drifting across the Martian sky. But these aren’t like the clouds on Earth. They’re noctilucent clouds, tinted with reddish and greenish hues, which have intrigued scientists since the rover first looked upward.
What does their color reveal? Like on Earth, these “noctilucent” clouds glow at dusk—the transition from day to night—due to sunlight scattering off their particles. The key difference is that on Mars, they can be made of either water ice or carbon dioxide ice.
The iridescent clouds, with flashes of color resembling mother-of-pearl, are primarily composed of carbon dioxide ice that condenses at high altitudes, between 37 to 50 miles above the Martian surface. In a recent study, a team from the Boulder Space Science Institute analyzed these clouds in detail using Curiosity’s images.
What do their movements tell us? These clouds vary not only in color but also in shape and altitude. While carbon dioxide formations rise and produce colorful flashes, water ice formations appear as white plumes that move at lower altitudes—about 30 miles high—and dissipate as they warm near the surface.
Studying the size and growth of cloud particles helps astronomers understand their formation and evolution. It also provides clues about atmospheric cooling processes, such as gravitational waves that occur only in certain areas of the planet.
The enduring Curiosity. Curiosity’s observations have been key to understanding the physics of Mars’ atmosphere. The images were taken with one of the two color modules of the Mastcam, specifically the 34mm camera, which currently has a partially blocked filter wheel.
Even in its later years, Curiosity continues to collect valuable data and explore new areas of interest, such as channels and craters that may hold clues to Mars’ past. But by looking skyward, it also opens a window to understanding the Red Planet’s atmospheric dynamics and climate.
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