NASA shares images of Mars clouds hovering over Curiosity

Posted:

Feb 18 2022 05:41 GMT

From these images, scientists can calculate the formations’ speed and height.

The Curiosity spacecraft has captured images of the movement of clouds over Mont Sharpthe region of Mars where it is located, communication NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The two photos were taken with a navigation camera on December 12, in Today’s number 3325 mission rover on the red planet. Both pictures Consists of 8 frames And at first you can see cloud shadows reflecting off the surface.

Scientists can calculate displacement velocity From the clouds and their height compared to the two perspectives. These clouds are almost too high 80 km above the surfaceindicating that it consists of carbon dioxide ice rather than water ice, which is usually found at lower altitudes.

“Mars’ clouds are very faint Atmospheric, so special viewing techniques are needed to see it. Multiple images are taken in order to have a clear, stable background, allowing anything else moving within the image (such as clouds or shadows) to be visible after the background has been removed. Fixed background for each photoexplains the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The velocity of the drag displacement is only mentioned by the gate Space.com Reports indicate that wind speeds near the surface of Mars are usually between 7 and 35 kilometers per hour, which may be sufficient to provide wind force On Mars.