A Martian Sunset
Explanation:
You've had a hard day rolling past
Martian rocks, so now just relax your
APXS
and enjoy the Martian sunset. The
above pictures
taken by
Mars Pathfinder
highlight how clouds vary during the end of a Martian day. The
atmosphere on Mars is much thinner than on
Earth and dominated by
carbon dioxide rather than
nitrogen.
Clouds on Mars
can be
water or
carbon dioxide based,
depending on conditions,
whereas Earth's clouds are all water based. At night the
temperature at
Sagan Memorial Station
will dip from about -15 degrees
Celsius
(+4 Fahrenheit) to -77 degrees Celsius (-107 Fahrenheit).
Temperatures
only this cold won't bother
Sojourner.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
