It marks the first time sun rays have been viewed so clearly on the Red Planet.<\/p>\n
The image was captured during a Martian sunset on 2 February 2023. As the Sun began to descend below the horizon, the rays illuminated a bank of clouds.<\/p>\n
- What does the night sky look like on Mars?<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>A view of \u2018sun rays\u2019 or crepuscular rays on Mars, as seen by NASA\u2019s Curiosity Mars rover on 2 February 2023. Credits: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS\/SSI<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n These Sun rays are also known as crepuscular rays, which comes from the Latin word for \u2018twilight\u2019.<\/p>\n
The image was captured as part of Curiosity\u2019s latest twilight cloud survey, following its observations of noctilucent clouds<\/a> back in 2021.<\/p>\n
Most Martian clouds are around 60km above the surface and made of water ice, but the clouds in these new images seem to be much higher, where it\u2019s even colder, suggesting they could be made of carbon dioxide ice.<\/p>\n
Curiosity also captured a wonderful set of colourful clouds that appear in a feather shape on 27 January 2023.<\/p>\n
The rainbow-like colours of this cloud is known as \u2018iridescence\u2019.<\/p>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>An iridescent cloud on Mars captured just after sunset on 27 January 2023, by NASA\u2019s Curiosity rover. Credits: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n \u201cWhere we see iridescence, it means a cloud\u2019s particle sizes are identical to their neighbors in each part of the cloud,\u201d says Mark Lemmon, an atmospheric scientist with the Space Science Institute<\/a> in Boulder, Colorado.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy looking at colour transitions, we\u2019re seeing particle size changing across the cloud. That tells us about the way the cloud is evolving and how its particles are changing size over time.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/25\/2023\/03\/nasa-curiosity-iridescence-cloud-mars-da1a50a.jpeg?quality=90&resize=620%2C211"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
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