Curiosity Sees Drifting Clouds Over Gale Crater

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Caption:

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover imaged these drifting clouds on May 12, 2019, the 2,405th Martian day, or sol, of the mission, using its black-and-white Navigation Cameras (Navcams).

These are likely water-ice clouds about 19 miles (31 kilometers) above the surface. They are also "noctilucent" clouds, meaning they are so high that they are still illuminated by the Sun, even when it's night at Mars' surface. Scientists can watch when light leaves the clouds and use this information to infer their altitude.

Background Info:

More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/ .

Cataloging Keywords:

Name	Value	Additional Values
Target	Mars
System
Target Type	Planet
Mission	Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Instrument Host	Curiosity Rover
Host Type	Rover
Instrument	Navigation Camera (Navcam)
Detector
Extra Keywords	Crater, Grayscale, Water
Acquisition Date
Release Date	2019-05-29
Date in Caption	2019-05-12
Image Credit	NASA/JPL-Caltech
Source	photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23241
Identifier	PIA23241