Martian Sunset
Explanation:
What would it be like to see a sunset on Mars?
To help find out, the
robotic rover Spirit was deployed in 2005
to park and watch the Sun dip serenely below the distant lip of
Gusev crater.
Colors in the
above image have been slightly exaggerated but
would likely be apparent to a human
explorer's eye.
Fine martian dust particles suspended in the thin atmosphere
lend
the sky a reddish color,
but the dust also scatters blue light in the forward direction,
creating a
bluish sky glow near the setting Sun.
Because Mars is farther away, the Sun is less bright and
only about two thirds the diameter it appears from Earth.
Images like this help atmospheric scientists understand not only the
atmosphere of Mars, but atmospheres across the
Solar System,
including our
home Earth.
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.
