NASA’s Curiosity captures stunning blue sunset on Mars, according to the recent pictures that the administration has published on its official website.
It’s been years since NASA has first sent its car-sized rover, Curiosity, to land on Mars and further investigate its surface. The robot has provided many surface analyses and photos from the Red Planet since then.
The most recent and stunning pictures that scientists at NASA have received date back to April 15, 2015. During that particular date, Curiosity took pictures of one of the most unique sunset ever.
People on Earth usually picture sunsets as yellowy, orangey and during more spectacular evenings, reddish. On Mars, however, the Sun turns blue as it gently sets down, a phenomenon that has not been noticed before.
Scientists at NASA explain that the stunning blue sunset that appears on Mars is due to the fine particles of dust that are specific for the Red Planet. According to them, dust particles are much finer on Mars than they normally are on Earth.
These have a different ability to filter sunrays, thus, causing any possible living creatures or, car-sized rovers, driving through the Martian desert to see the sunset blue.
Curiosity’s camera has the same viewing capacity of a human being; therefore, researchers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration have drawn the conclusion that human beings living on Mars would have experienced the same sunset.
Mastcam, Curiosity’s Mast Cam, has captured extremely useful photos. The images that have been sent to NASA’s headquarters enable experts to further study the vertical distribution of dust in the atmosphere.
Mark Lemmon of Texas A&M University, a member of Curiosity’s science team, explained that the blue hue appears only when the Martian dust gets closer to the Sun.
Viewed from afar, Mars appears red, but once we get closer to the Red Planet, objects surrounding us receive a blue shade.
The opposite is valid for the Earth. The planet looks blue when viewed from the outer space, whereas the sunset turns fiery when viewed from the earth’s surface.
Curiosity landed on Mars in August 2012. The car-sized rover has been studying the land of the Red Planet ever since to help scientists determine whether humans could live on the Red Planet or not.
Many discoveries have been made ever since. NASA is, in fact, preparing now to send humans on Mars during their 2030 Mars’ Colonization program.
Image Source: Msi Chicago