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Stunning: the Earth and Moon hang in space as seen from Mars; Images: NASA's discovery of water ice on Mars. What’s next?

By WcP.Scientific.Mind - Posted on 23 June 2008

High, wispy clouds cover a large portion of Mars, seen in the first true-colour image of Mars generated with the OSIRIS orange (red), green and blue color filters

(quote)

The announcement by NASA of the discovery of water ice on Mars by its Phoenix Lander probe made big news everywhere. The discovery involved the observation of water ice sublimating into the air - that is, the water went from solid to vapor state without reaching the liquid stage. The Martian atmosphere has perfect conditions for sublimation - extremely thin, dry and cold. How cold? Well, you can check the Live Martian Weather Report, with data from a station on board the Phoenix Lander.

What more do we know about Mars' atmosphere? It's hundreds of times thinner than Earth's atmosphere and is made of 95% carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen, 1.6% argon, and contains traces of oxygen, water, and methane. We also know, from observations that it can support dust storms, dust devils, clouds and gusty winds. With an amazing number of six current live probes exploring Mars (two rovers, a lander, and three orbiters), there are many thousands of images available. Only a few, however show atmospheric phenomena. Presented here are some of the best images of Martian atmosphere (and beyond) in action.

Mars' northern orange sky and horizon, seen by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, whose solar panel and Robotic Arm with a sample in the scoop are also visible

an isolated water ice cloud extending more than 30 kilometers (more than 18 miles) above the Martian surface

Martian skies seen above a rolling horizon in this image, part of a larger image called the ‘McMurdo’ panorama

the clouds can be composed of either carbon dioxide ice or water ice, and can move swiftly across the sky

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit captured this stunning view as the Sun sank below the rim of Gusev crater on Mars

one of the two moons of Mars: Phobos, taken on 23 March 2008 from a distance of 6,800 kilometers

higher in the Martian sky, the Earth and Moon hang in space, as seen from Mars

(unquote)

These and more photos courtesy of ESA, NASA, JPL (see original source: Boston Globe)

Related article: Can the Martian arctic support extreme life?

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picture of Earth and the moon...
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/03/2012 - 12:26.

That picture of Earth and the moon wasn't taken anywhere close to Mars. From that distance, Earth would look just like a bright star. And while the moon would technically be visable at that distance, it's quite possible that due to it's proximity to Earth, it would be drown out by Earth's brightness.

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