Orographic Cloud on Mars over Arsia Mons volcano spotted by ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft

ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft captured unique weather phenomenon Orographic Cloud on Mars over Arsia Mons volcano. The resolution of the image incredible thanks to HRSC image instrument. Technically the general image of Orographic Cloud on Mars was taken on September 21, 2018. It is ~1500 km long and formed by downwind of the mountain. Clouds over Arsia Mons typically occur during local summer (when the Red Planet is in furthest point to the Sun). Atmosphere of Mars becomes colder (closer to water's condensation point) and the northern ice cap supplies significant amounts of water vapor to the atmosphere.

Credit: esa.int
Image Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin/J. Cowart, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Source: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_Express/Mars_Express_keeps_an_eye_on_curious_cloud

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