In 2019, two cameras on the Mars Express orbiter of the European Space Agency (ESA) captured a series of dust storms near the north pole of Mars. After analyzing these, there are indications that large clouds of dust on Mars are formed similar to water vapor clouds formed on Earth. Scientists are surprised by this discovery, because the atmosphere of both the planets is different. It is worth noting that most of the clouds formed on the earth are not dust. They contain a lot of water. The formation of clouds on Earth is due to the water cycle and the conditions of the Earth’s atmosphere. In comparison, the atmosphere of Mars is very cold and only 1 percent dense. Still there are clouds.
linked to research paper Published in Icarus. Scientists say that as of today, the water present on Mars is only in the form of ice. Some water is also present in the clouds, but most of the clouds are made of dust.
The European Space Agency says that when it comes to the atmosphere of Mars, the imagination of dry desert usually comes to mind. What has come out in the research is quite unexpected.
Mars Dust storms have also plagued space missions on the planet. The Insight lander of the US space agency NASA is its latest victim. This lander is going to end soon, which has also been confirmed by NASA. Due to accumulation of dust on the lander, its solar panels are unable to charge. Engineers have no solution for this. Earlier in the year 2018, a dust storm had ended the Opportunity rover mission.
When scientists observed Martian dust storms from above, they found that the storm system looked like Earth’s clouds. Only the orange color makes it different. This research can be helpful in the future to understand what the atmosphere of Mars would have been like millions of years ago. Was there life?
