Martian clouds in motion (H8676)

The images that compose this animation were taken on October 14, 2010, on Mars Express' 8676th orbit, and show an area within Noachis Terra to the west of Hellas basin, around 45 degrees south, 38 east. There are two components to the apparent motions of the clouds. One is real west-to-east cloud motion over the two-minute period of the animation (readable from the motions of the shadows along the ground). The other component has to do with the different look angles of the different channels of HRSC and the significant thickness of the cloud layer. In the first frame, HRSC was looking forward (northward) along its south-to-north orbital path; in the last frame, it was looking backward (southward). Because of this changing perspective, the upper-level clouds appear to move southward with respect to the lower-level clouds.

The color comes from red, green, and blue channels of the HRSC channel and is an overlay applied to the animation, so the color information is actually not animated -- only the brightness information moves. This works visually because Mars is relatively monochromatic.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• mars
• mars express
• weather
• clouds
• hrsc
• esa
• space

[kurtjmac]

I want to go to there.

[plungerheadman]

@kurtjmac Still thinking about that whole "one-way trip to Mars" thing?

[icannotfly]

@BobSalawalatski good thing we're not walking there

[icannotfly]

@plungerheadman i'm perfectly fine with dying on another planet.

[sexyloser]

As others have said, it's probably dust storms rather than clouds. Mars doesn't have the atmosphere required to form clouds.

[NCHCITY]

Martians are smoke

[Tommyr]

Sorry moron, it's DUST STORMS. They happen every year there and sometimes cover most of the planet. Try learning some astronomy. 

[Chiofvi79]

very dirty clouds. It looks more like a dust storm from above..

[Noise509]

That's awesome

[BobSalawalatski]

@kurtjmac According to my (probably incorrect) calculations, the closest Mars could come to Earth is more than 4,000 times greater than the distance to the Far Lands in Minecraft.

[JTCowner]

@kurtjmac I don't want to live on this planet anymore.

[pplk23]

@kurtjmac Kurt for mars and he will be immortal