NASA's Curiosity Rover sees first dazzling "sun rays" on Mars.

NASA's Curiosity Rover has captured a dazzling image of rays from the setting sun at twilight on Mars. The image, which marks the first time sun rays have been viewed clearly over the Red Planet, was captured by the robotic rover on Feb. 2, 2023. 

The light known as "crepuscular rays" from the Latin word for "twilight," can be seen illuminating a bank of clouds over Mars. 

The image came about as part of the Curiosity rover's new mission on Mars: Observing clouds over the planet during its twilight hours. The new investigation builds upon previous observations of Martian clouds during nighttime, known as "noctilucent" or night-shining clouds, conducted by the veteran rover which has been exploring the Red Planet since August 2012.

The clouds featured in this new image are different from other Martian clouds which usually hover over the Red Planet at an altitude no higher than 37 miles (59 kilometers). These twilight clouds are at a higher altitude where the sky over Mars is especially cold indicating that the clouds in this image may be composed of frozen carbon dioxide, also known as "dry ice."

Source: www.space.com

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