NASA rover spots some of the clearest sunrays ever seen on Mars

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover captured a dazzling sunset on the Red Planet on Feb. 2, 2023, that stands out. The veteran rover spotted some of the clearest sun rays ever seen on the planet.

This stunning sunset view was captured during Curiosity's newest twilight cloud survey on the planet.

In the latest images, the Martian clouds appear to be at a greater height than usual, typically no more than 37 miles (60 kilometres) above the ground, suggesting that they are composed of carbon dioxide ice or dry ice.

Scientists study Martian clouds for a variety of reasons, with one of the main reasons being that they can provide important clues about the planet's atmosphere and climate.

The new cloud-imaging campaign began in January 2023 and will wrap up in mid-March. While the 2021 cloud survey included more imaging by Curiosity's black-and-white navigation camera, the new campaign relies more on the rover's color Mast Camera, or Mastcam, which helps scientists see how cloud particles grow over time.

Well, this is a first... 😍As I watched the sunset last month, I captured something spectacular: My team says these are some of the most clearly visible images of sun rays we've ever seen on Mars! pic.twitter.com/HIgzZHdAyV

— Curiosity Rover (@MarsCuriosity) March 6, 2023

In January 2023, NASA's Curiosity rover also captured a feather-shaped iridescent cloud just after sunset. When illuminated by sunlight, certain types of clouds can create a rainbow-like display called iridescence. When scientists study the colors present in iridescent clouds, it reveals information about the size of particles within the clouds and their growth pattern over time.

"Where we see iridescence, it means a cloud's particle sizes are identical to their neighbours in each part of the cloud. By looking at color transitions, we're 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," said Mark Lemmon, an atmospheric scientist with the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado.