                        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.

                                 2021 June 5

                         The Shining Clouds of Mars
                    Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS

   Explanation: The weathered and layered face of Mount Mercou looms in
   the foreground of this mosaic from the Curiosity Mars rover's Mast
   Camera. Made up of 21 individual images the scene was recorded just
   after sunset on March 19, the 3,063rd martian day of Curiosity's on
   going exploration of the Red Planet. In the martian twilight high
   altitude clouds still shine above, reflecting the light from the Sun
   below the local horizon like the noctilucent clouds of planet Earth.
   Though water ice clouds drift through the thin martian atmosphere,
   these wispy clouds are also at extreme altitudes and could be composed
   of frozen carbon dioxide, crystals of dry ice. Curiosity's Mast Cam has
   also imaged iridescent or mother of pearl clouds adding subtle colors
   to the martian sky.

                    Tomorrow's picture: sunrise on Earth
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

