The Curiosity rover just sent back a stunning postcard capturing its view of a shimmering sunset on Mars.
The NASA rover has been roaming across the surface of Mars for more than 10 years, searching for answers as to why the red planet went from warm and wet to a frozen desert. It has discovered intriguing rock formations, searched for signs of life and scaled Mount Sharp at the center of Gale Crater. But rather than continuing to focus on the near-endless red stretch of rocks and dirt below its wheels, the rover has recently been looking up.
Scientists can use information about when and where clouds form on Mars to learn more about the planet’s atmospheric composition and temperatures, as well as wind. The new survey, which kicked off in January and will wrap up later this month, utilizes the rover’s color camera located on its mast to watch as cloud particles grow. On Mars, most clouds are made of frozen ice and float about 37 miles above the ground.
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