Curiosity Rover Captures Mesmerizing Iridescent Clouds on Mars
NASA has released breathtaking images of wispy clouds drifting across the Martian sky, captured by the Curiosity rover. Resembling a massive feather, the stunning display was recorded on January 27, 2023, just after sunset.
“These clouds were observed as part of an ongoing seasonal study of noctilucent, or ‘night-shining,’ clouds,” NASA explained in a statement. “A new observation campaign in January 2025 enabled Curiosity to capture a video showcasing red and green-tinged clouds floating above Mars.”
A Closer Look at Martian Clouds
On Wednesday, NASA released another video, showing the clouds moving above Curiosity as its Mastcam pointed skyward. The time-lapse footage, taken over a span of 16 minutes, offers a dynamic view of the atmospheric phenomenon.
Martian clouds, composed of either water ice or carbon dioxide ice, display subtle hues as sunlight scatters during sunset. The footage reveals iridescent clouds forming at altitudes between 60 and 80 kilometers, while a separate set of water-ice clouds moves in the opposite direction at around 50 kilometers.
Tracing the History of Iridescence on Mars
NASA first observed iridescent clouds on Mars during the Pathfinder mission in 1997, but Curiosity documented them for the first time in 2019.
“I’ll never forget the first time I saw these iridescent clouds—at first, I thought it was just a color artifact,” said Mark Lemmon, an atmospheric scientist at the Space Science Institute in Boulder. “Now, we can predict their appearance so precisely that we plan our observations in advance; they always appear at the same time each year.”
Why Scientists Study Martian Clouds
Planetary scientists are particularly interested in studying these clouds because analyzing their composition and growth patterns could offer deeper insights into Mars’ atmosphere and climate history. Each new discovery brings us closer to understanding the Red Planet’s complex atmospheric processes.
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