PIA23242: Curiosity Sees More Clouds Over Gale Crater


Curiosity Sees More Clouds Over Gale Crater

Caption:

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NASA's Curiosity Mars rover imaged these drifting clouds on May 7, 2019, the 2,400th 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 2019-05-07
Image Credit NASA/JPL-Caltech
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23242
Identifier PIA23242