Why there are no clouds on Mars

Why there are no clouds on Mars
Why there are no clouds on Mars
Anonim

The dry, dusty surface of Mars is a dark and eerie place. However, this was not always the case. Thanks to the data collected using rovers and orbiters, scientists were able to discover very interesting facts about the past of the Red Planet.

It is known that more than a billion years ago, the surface of Mars was covered with liquid water (the remains of which today are preserved only as ice caps at the poles). However, sulfate deposits found near the upper Murray Formation point to a very unusual period in Mars history when water rapidly evaporated across the planet.

A huge amount of water vapor, apparently, simply flies into space. An international team of researchers has found that the upper atmosphere of Mars contains far more traces of water vapor than it should be. Scientists believe that seasonal climate changes are largely responsible for the outflow of water. In the months when dust storms rage on the surface of the Red Planet, its atmosphere becomes oversaturated with water vapor from 10 to 100%, depending on the circumstances.

According to a study published in the journal Science, cold temperatures in the atmosphere should reasonably cause steam to condense into clouds, but … it doesn't. This is confirmed by Roskosmos and the orbiter of the European Space Agency, which have also been monitoring the atmosphere of Mars for a long time. Satellite data also shows that water is escaping into outer space much faster than previously thought.

Why is this happening? Scientists have yet to find out in the next few years. By understanding the factors contributing to the loss of water, researchers will be able to much more carefully choose the landing sites for future rovers, not to mention the establishment of a potential colony on Mars.

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