NASA recently disclosed the clouds captured by the Curiosity rover on Mars. These clouds formed earlier than expected and were also located higher than the clouds on Mars typically. In the thin, dry atmosphere of Mars, cloudy weather is rare. Clouds usually occur at the Martian equator during the coldest part of the year, when Mars is at its furthest distance from the Sun in its elliptical orbit. But 2 years ago, scientists discovered that clouds over Curiosity formed earlier than usual. This year, scientists began documenting these early formation clouds to study how clouds on Mars formed. These twilight clouds, known as "luminous clouds," become brighter when filled with crystals, and darken again when the sun's position in the sky falls below the clouds, NASA said. It's also one of the clues scientists can use to determine the height of the clouds. NASA also photographed rainbow clouds on Mars, or "mother-of-pearl clouds." Mark Lemmon, an atmospheric scientist at the Boulder Space Science Institute in Colorado, says that if you see clouds of faintly glowing pastel colors, it's because the particle sizes of those clouds are almost identical. This usually happens after clouds form, and these clouds grow at the same rate. NASA mentioned in the statement that if humans stay on curiosity and look at them, they can see these colors with the naked eye, although they are very weak. (The Paper, TY)
Source: Daily Economic News