The Boulder Institute of Space Sciences in Colorado, United States, this Monday, reported that sunbeams were captured for the first time on the planet Mars.
The images were provided by NASA’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) rover Curiosity through its Mastcam color camera, which helps scientists see how cloud particles grow over time.
Curiosity captured the sun’s rays during a survey of crepuscular, noctilucent, or night-glow clouds.
“Most of the Martian clouds are located no more than 60 kilometers above the ground and are made up of water ice, and those in the latest images appear to be at higher altitudes, where it is especially cold,” the source points out.
That suggests that these clouds are made of carbon dioxide ice, or dry ice, the entity’s statement said.
In addition to the image of the sun’s rays, Curiosity captured a set of feather-shaped colored clouds on January 27.
When illuminated by sunlight, they can create a rainbow-like spectacle, called iridescence, the source said.
Source: International Agencies
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