Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2000 October 9
See Explanation.  Clicking on the picture will download 
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A Polar Martian Dust Storm
Credit: Malin Space Science Systems, MGS, JPL, NASA

Explanation: On August 29, a large dust storm was photographed erupting out from the north polar cap of Mars. Such dust storms are not uncommon as summer advances in the north. In the above picture taken by the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft currently orbiting Mars, the white material is frozen carbon dioxide that covers much of the extreme north. As the north polar cap region begins to thaw, a temperature difference occurs between the cold frost region and recently thawed surface, resulting in swirling winds between the adjacent regions. Visible in the storm is a strong central jet about 900 kilometers long that is creating symmetric swirling vortices. Although winds can reach 100 km/hour, the thin atmosphere of Mars usually makes such storms less destructive than similar storms on Earth.

Tomorrow's picture: The Einstein Cross


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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA)
NASA Technical Rep.: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA/GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.