Something familiar has been spotted onMars . The fourth planet from the Sun has an atmosphere that is 95 percentage carbon copy dioxide ; this gain it very insensate and dry , a thoroughgoing opposite to the nitrogen and atomic number 8 that make up Earth ’s warm wet standard atmosphere . Despite their divergence , the European Space Agency ( ESA ) think that both Mars and Earth have similar cloud patterns , suggest that they were formed in the same way .
ESA’sMars Expressand NASA’sReconnaissance Orbiterrecorded two dust storm that happened near Mars ’s North Pole in the outpouring of 2019 . Springtime is a period of time of mellow dust storm activity on Mars . TheVisual Monitoring Camera ( VMC ) imagesshow that the storms pass off and disappear in repeated rhythm , sometimes showing usual SHAPE . By using the High Resolution Stereo Camera turbinate shapes can be seen , which are between 100 and 2,000 kilometers ( 62 - 1,243 miles ) long , and they bear a similar bloodline to that of the extratropical cyclone that can be understand at Earth ’s mid and gelid latitudes .
The prototype also reveal that the texture of the clouds on Mars is similar to that of the clouds on Earth . The Martian junk tempest are made up of lots of regularly - spaced smaller swarm jail cell , arranged like pebbles . This texture is constitute by closed - prison cell convection when the warmer air uprise in the core of littler cloud pockets . As on Earth , this warm air take form the clouds , but on Mars the rising air contains dust , not water . The Sun heats the arise dusty air , forming cells that are surround by sinking air that is less dust - ladened . This gives upgrade to the normal that you see .
By measuring the shadows of the junk clouds , and combine this with the Sun ’s position , it is potential to measure the height of the cloud above the control surface of Mars . Researchers have discover that the rubble can reach approximately 6 - 11 km ( 4 - 7 miles ) above the reason .
“ Despite the irregular demeanour of dust storms on Mars and the solid hint gusts that company them , we have seen that within their complexness , organized body structure such as fronts and cellular convection figure can emerge , " explains Agustín Sánchez - Levaga from the Universidad del País Vasco UPV / EHU ( Spain ) , who launch the VMC scientific discipline squad and is lead author of the paper presenting the Modern analysis .
monitor dust storm on Mars is vital for facilitate solar - powered missions such asInSightsurvive on the Red Planet and get word as much about Mars as possible .
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