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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNASA releases spectacular photo of 'rainbow' on Mars
A recent image taken by NASAs Perseverance rover appears to show a breathtaking rainbow on Mars. The photograph has caused mass speculation online, as scientific evidence shows there shouldnt be rainbows on Mars. On Earth, rainbows appear when sunlight meets the right atmospheric conditions, in which the light hits and reflects off of individual water droplets in the atmosphere. However, given the cold, thin, and dry atmosphere of Mars, the chances of the image being of an actual rainbow are unlikely.
... users have speculated that it could be a dustbow, with the reflections being caused by dust rather than water droplets. Further speculation on the site has come from a 2015 Ask Me Anything with NASA team members in which NASA Mars Program Office Chief Scientist Rich Zurek said it was possible that icebows could appear on Mars, because while there are no water droplets, snow has been observed at the Poles.
However, the most supported theory appears to be that the rainbow was caused by an artifact causing random rays of light entering and randomly dispersing inside the lens, similar to a lens flare in your typical camera. This was supported by Dave Lavery, the program executive for Solar System Exploration at NASA, who told Forbes, Definitely not a rainbow.
It is just internal reflections in the camera lens."
https://thehill.com/changing-america/resilience/smart-cities/546655-nasa-releases-spectacular-photo-of-rainbow-on-mars
Hortensis
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(38,601 posts)lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)Darwins_Retriever
(853 posts)Pinback
(12,154 posts)Baitball Blogger
(46,703 posts)left-of-center2012
(34,195 posts)Baitball Blogger
(46,703 posts)Will bookmark for later.
malaise
(268,967 posts)How do we have a rainbow on a dry planet?
left-of-center2012
(34,195 posts)malaise
(268,967 posts)My bad - fascinating