Sunshine through the clouds… Curiosity captures Mars in the twilight [우주를 보다]

The twilight scene was captured on camera on Mars, when the sun shone through the dark clouds. On the 7th (local time), the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released an interesting picture of the sky taken by the Mars exploration rover Curiosity, which is solving ‘curiosity’ on the distant red planet.

This picture of the sky of Mars, which looks like a subtle pastel tone, was taken by Curiosity on the 2nd of last month at 3730 Mars time (SOL, one day on Mars is 24 hours 37 minutes 23 seconds, slightly longer than Earth). will be. The scene in which the sun went down over the horizon at that time and its light broke through the clouds in the sky of Mars was captured in this picture. NASA said it was the first time the sun’s rays had been observed so clearly on Mars.

The Martian sky has a very different feel from Earth because the composition of the clouds is different. Clouds on Mars feel quite alien, but clouds can form because Mars also has an atmosphere and water vapor. However, just because Mars has clouds that look similar to Earth doesn’t mean the two planets have the same atmosphere. The atmosphere of Mars is about 100 times less dense than Earth’s, and the main components are different. Earth’s atmosphere contains 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and some carbon dioxide, while Mars’ atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide. Also, Martian clouds do not form every day, but only occasionally.

According to NASA, Martian clouds generally form about 60 km above the ground and are composed of carbon dioxide or dry ice. “As on Earth, clouds provide scientists with important information for understanding the weather,” NASA said.

Meanwhile, Curiosity, a small-sized car-sized exploration robot, landed near Gale Crater, which is 154 km wide, on August 5, 2012, to solve the ‘curiosity’ about whether there is life on Mars. Over a period of more than 10 years, Curiosity analyzed the geology and soil of Mars to obtain data on organic matter such as methane and investigated whether conditions were suitable for microorganisms to live. In particular, Curiosity has made great achievements in discovering traces of water flow on Mars long ago and evidence of methane gas and nitrates necessary for life.

Reporter Park Jong-ik pji@seoul.co.kr