Subj : Daily APOD Report
To   : All
From : Alan Ianson
Date : Tue Dec 03 2024 00:31:58

                        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.

                               2024 December 3
   Ice clouds are seen over the surface of Mars on the upper right. Toward
     the lower left is a bright spot in the sky which is likely the Sun
      setting through Martian dust. Please see the explanation for more
                            detailed information.

                        Ice Clouds over a Red Planet
     Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Kevin M. Gill; Processing: Rogelio
                                Bernal Andreo

   Explanation: If you could stand on Mars -- what might you see? You
   might look out over a vast orange landscape covered with rocks under a
   dusty orange sky, with a blue-tinted Sun setting over the horizon, and
   odd-shaped water clouds hovering high overhead. This was just the view
   captured last March by NASA's rolling explorer, Perseverance. The
   orange coloring is caused by rusted iron in the Martian dirt, some of
   which is small enough to be swept up by winds into the atmosphere. The
   blue tint near the setting Sun is caused by blue light being
   preferentially scattered out from the Sun by the floating dust. The
   light-colored clouds on the right are likely composed of water-ice and
   appear high in the Martian atmosphere. The shapes of some of these
   clouds are unusual for Earth and remain a topic of research.

                    Tomorrow's picture: driveway sunspots
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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