At one time, astronomers believed the surface of Mars was crisscrossed by canal systems.
This, in turn, fueled speculation that Mars, like Earth, was capable of supporting life
and housing a native civilization.
However, as human satellites and rovers began to undertake flybys and studies of the planet,
this view of Mars faded, and was replaced with one in which the Red Planet was a cold,
parched, and lifeless environment.
However, over the last two decades, scientists have learned a great deal about Mars' history,
which has changed this view as well.
We also know that, while Mars is today extraordinarily cold, dry, and unfriendly, this was not always
the case.
Furthermore, we have discovered that even in their current forms, Mars and Earth have
a lot in common.
But what about the mysterious 2000-kilometer-long cloud that appears on it every day?
Is this more proof that something is going on (on) the planet that will help future colonists
or possibly humanity someday?
Stay tuned as we reveal everything you need to know about Mars' enigmatic 2000-kilometer-long
Cloud!
Earth and Mars are planetary neighbors in the solar system, sharing some characteristics
such as rocky composition but differing in others such as size and temperature.
Although the same materials make up Earth and Mars, their proportions differ.
The two planets are also assumed to have originated around the same time, albeit in quite different
ways.
While many forms of life exist on Earth, it is unknown whether any exist on Mars.
According to the European Space Agency, both Earth and Mars are thought to have formed
roughly 4.6 billion years ago from a vast cloud of hot gases surrounding the sun.
Since then, both planets have gradually cooled and evolved into the spherical shapes we see
today.
Both planets have hard outer crusts and dense cores.
Furthermore, water played a role in both of their histories.
Mars is nearly twice as large as the Moon and a little over half the size of Earth.
The diameter of Mars is about 6,786 kilometers (4,217 miles), compared to that of Earth,
which is about 12,756 kilometers (7,926 miles).
Furthermore, Earth has a mass that is ten times bigger.
Mars cooled more faster than Earth after its original formation due to its much lower size
and mass.
Its decreased gravity also resulted in a faster loss of volatile materials like water and
gases.
Mars has a relatively thin atmosphere that is largely made up of carbon dioxide.
Without much atmosphere to protect it from heat loss, temperatures on Mars are much colder.
According to NASA Quest, average temperature in the mid-latitudes is minus 50 degrees Celsius
(minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit).
At night, it can drop to minus 60 degrees Celsius (minus 76 degrees Fahrenheit), while
daytime highs may reach 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit).
Volcanic rocks also cover 60% of Mars' surface.
It has been discovered that frozen water, or permafrost, exists beneath the planet's
surface, but its precise location is unknown.
Another reason why research is ongoing is to see if there is a way to heat things up
and breathe life into the red planet.
Tracing the history of the mystery cloud seen to appear 2000 kilometers long on Mars revealed
that it appears every few years in summer or spring and then vanishes.
Astronomers captured this Cloud on camera in 2009, but it has been challenging to figure
out what causes it to form or why it appears and disappears.
Despite this, study was carried out employing observations with a high degree of resolution.
This study analyzed the occurrences and characteristics of historical cloud patterns, yielding a very
plausible theory.
Now here's how it works: every year, the extended Cloud begins to take shape during the summer
or spring on the southern half of the Martian hemisphere, which is on the Arsia Mons.
The southern Solstice happens when the sun is at its most southern point in the sky.
You should also be aware that a year on Mars is nearly twice as long as one on Earth.
The Martian Seasons last twice as long as the Earth Seasons since a year on Mars is
687 days long.
This mystery Cloud arises every morning during each season for roughly three hours before
disappearing back into pure nothingness.
Could it be that our Celestial neighbors are simply cooking dinner in the volcano while
we are here eavesdropping?
Unlike the type of cloud that we have on Earth, the clouding process on Mars is extremely
quick, taking only 10 hours.
It also expands at a breakneck speed of about 600 kilometers per hour, which is roughly
the speed of an airplane.
But what distinguishes this Mars cloud from those on Earth?
The difference is that Earth's clouds are generated from water vapors, whereas clouds
can form from other elements, such as Saturn's methane.
Clouds form in the earth's sky as water at sea level heats up and evaporates into the
atmosphere.
These same clouds later break up when pressure drops, producing snow, sleet, or hailstorms
to fall to the ground; the process is then repeated.
However, this is not the case on Mars since the atmosphere is too frigid to support liquid
water.
This Cloud, on the other hand, is comprised of frozen water.
This Cloud is readily mistaken for plumes from volcanoes, although this is not the case
because Mars' volcanoes have been dormant for billions of or are they still active and
moving through Mars' core?
Scientists don't know for sure.
This enigmatic Martian Cloud appears in the morning from the base of the Arsia Mons volcano
and travels upward on the Western Slope.
However, as the temperature decreases, moisture in the wind condenses on dust particles, generating
what is known on Earth as an Orographic Cloud.
But how does an orographic cloud form?
A new study was conducted using data from the Mars Express and the Visual Monitoring
Camera (VMC), also known as the Mars Webcam.
Other useful information was received from space missions such as NASA's Mars atmosphere
and Volatile Evolution, the Viking 2, and the Indian space research organization's Mars
Orbiter Mission known as MOM.
According to this study, the Cloud's emissions can reach up to 1800 kilometers.
It also revealed that this is the largest orographic cloud yet spotted on Mars.
It also demonstrates that natural factors propel the wind fiercely upwards.
There are numerous examples of orographic clouds on Earth, including those that occasionally
develop in Rio de Janeiro and on Mount Damavand in Iran; both are formed in the same way.
A vast amount of moist air gathers around a large mountain or volcano, and a pressured
airflow propels the cloud up the mountain via an orographic lift.
However, why does this orographic Cloud appear only on the Arsia Mons?
What makes the Arsia Mon so unique?
Could it be that our Celestial friends chose the Arsia Mons particularly for their powerful
ceremony to awaken the God of War?
Perhaps not, but this is a question and a mystery that scientists are currently attempting
to solve.
Our research, however, indicates that Arsia Mons is the sole area where any Cloud forms
near the Martian equator.
Normally, many additional clouds appear around Mars' poles rather than in its equatorial
areas.
This Cloud occurs on a daily basis, most notably around the Martian local dawn.
It begins with its head barely on top of the Arsia volcano and then gradually begins to
lengthen and expand farther and further.
It begins at about 15 kilometers and quickly increases to 150 kilometers in width and slightly
more than 1800 kilometers in length.
Once it has finished this stretch, it begins to fade away, and the entire Cloud vanishes
within roughly 10 hours.
All of this happens soon after every spring on Mars, especially when clouds of water begin
to build over the 20-kilometer-high volcano.
However, there are concerns regarding the study's accuracy because no satellite was
stationed to catch the complete clouding process in the region for the entire 10 hours.
It is still unclear what happens on this volcano when the cameras are not watching during the
periods when the cloud disappears.
However, a researcher devised an ingenious plan to use one of the previously stationed
technological cameras left on Mars during one of the Mars Express missions.
This camera is known as the VMC, which stands for visual monitoring camera.
It is an old camera that was used to observe the successful separation of the Beagle Rovers
from Mars Express as it travelled to Mars.
It's nothing more than a low-resolution webcam with restricted range.
The Rover, on the other hand, was lost while landing because its solar panels were unable
to open and function.
So, what potential advantages does this Cloud have for future colonists?
When we figure out how this strange 2000-kilometer-long Cloud on Mars works, we'll have a great chance
to reproduce it here on Earth.
We can compare its creation to Earth's climatic conditions if we replicate it.
We want to understand if Mars contains biological components that are similar to ours and, in
the long run, what humans need to deploy on the planet to heal it or make it habitable.
Agustin Sanchez LaVega a professor of Applied Physics and astronomer from the University
of Basque Country said: “Understanding this Cloud gives us the exciting opportunity to
try to replicate the Cloud's formation with models.
Models that will improve our knowledge of climatic systems on both Mars and Earth.”
We can also predict when and where the cloud will appear, giving us greater precision in
determining where to place stronger cameras to orbit the critical regions at near-perfect
timings to collect the data we require.
This provides us with a better look and more accurate data to work with and evaluate.
It is also worth noting that the Earth is not the only planet where clouds form.
Except for Mercury, the smallest planet in the solar system, all other planets have clouds.
The reason for Mercury's absence of clouds is simple: there is no atmosphere for clouds
to form in.
The study of the strange 2000-kilometer-long Cloud that emerges on Mars and evaporates
every day has brought humanity closer to a more evolved future.
Since these clouds are not plumes from volcanoes but rather wet air pressure, Mars must have
some water stored someplace within its core that may be tapped into.
If this water ever makes its way to the surface of Mars, plants can grow on it, increasing
the oxygen level on the planet and ushering in a new era of human evolution.
Will humans ever colonize Mars?
Let us know in the comments section below.