Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

CBSnews OP t1_jbahefp wrote

Here's a preview of the article:

NASA's Curiosity rover has captured "sun rays" on Mars for the first time, the agency says.

The footage was taken on Feb. 6, NASA said, and showed the phenomenon as the sun set on the planet. This is the first time, NASA said, that the sun rays, also known as crepuscular rays, have been viewed so clearly.

The moment was captured as the rover conducted a twilight cloud survey, building on previous observations of clouds. Previously recorded images of Martian clouds show them as being made of water ice and hovering no more 37 miles above Mars' surface. The new images captured by Curiosity appear to show clouds at a "higher altitude, where it's especially cold," NASA said, suggesting that the clouds are made of carbon dioxide ice, or dry ice.

The moment was captured as the rover conducted a twilight cloud survey, building on previous observations of clouds. Previously recorded images of Martian clouds show them as being made of water ice and hovering no more 37 miles above Mars' surface. The new images captured by Curiosity appears to show clouds at a "higher altitude, where it's especially cold," NASA said, suggesting that the clouds are made of carbon dioxide ice, or dry ice.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nasas-curiosity-rover-spots-sun-rays-on-mars-for-the-first-time/

12

deluchas15 t1_jbam1hw wrote

Thanks for sharing. I didn't know there were sun rays on Mars. I'm asking, "Does Mars have sunshine too?" and "Do living things need sunshine?" I'm also asking, "Is there life on Mars too?"

2

Gulley_Foyle t1_jbaogn1 wrote

Living things don’t need sunshine, the deep ocean thermal vents are crawling with life that does not rely on the sun either directly or indirectly

7

deluchas15 t1_jbatg3o wrote

Thanks for explaining this. I didn't know that. I learned something new. I don't know if you can answer this question. This article is about the curiosity rover finding sun rays on Mars. How do sun rays affect Mars?

2

pmMeAllofIt t1_jbbtr2s wrote

They don't affect Mars, they are an effect of Mars' atmosphere at sunset.
On Earth we have a lot of images of sun rays, light coming through clouds being visible in the air. But Mars only has a few cameras on it, so the chances of seeing sun rays is much less- it finally happened.
But it's not just about looks, it helps researchers better understand things such as Mars' atmospher or weather.

2

darrellbear t1_jbcu1vt wrote

AKA sunbeams, aka crepuscular rays. If you ever see crepuscular rays when you look at the sunset, turn around and face the opposite direction. You may see dark counterparts, known as anticrepuscular rays. They're the shadows of the clouds causing the sunbeams in the west. Anticrepuscular rays converge on the eastern horizon, opposite the sun's position in the west.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200318.html

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160627.html

The same holds at sunrise, of course.

2