Capture the cosmos > Solar system > Tales of: Dust storms on Mars

Tales of ... Dust storms seen on Mars See image below

Before the advent of Mars-orbiting spacecraft, astronomers had a sketchy view of the Red Planet's ever-changing weather. Though Mars is one of the nearest planets to Earth, the distance between it and Earth varies greatly. The two planets circle the Sun like race cars circling a track at different speeds — and Earth "laps" Mars approximately every two years.

Martian dust storms are most likely to erupt during the Spring and early Summer in the planet's southern hemisphere — a time when Mars is closest to the Sun. Since Mars has a more elliptical orbit than Earth, its distance from the Sun varies widely. This variance causes a significant variability in the Martian climate. (Continued >>)

Ice clouds and dust storms on Mars

Capture the cosmos > Solar system > Tales of: Dust storms on Mars