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Since September 13, 2018, ESA's Mars Express visual surveillance camera (VMC) observes the evolution of a curious cloud formation that appears regularly near the Arsia Mons volcano, 20 km high. , near the equator of the planet. (Credit: ESA / GCP / UPV / EHU Bilbao, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO)
Although the atmosphere of Mars is composed of very different elements of the Earth and is about 100 times less dense than ours, the planet has clouds. But a strange and curious cloud near a massive volcano intrigues the viewers and even spurs conspiracy theories about what might be hiding below.
The cloud, described as "curious" by the European Space Agency, was spotted for the first time on September 13 on the Arsia Mons volcano on the planet by Mars Express satellite. The ESA does not think it's a volcanic cloud, no volcano being active on the planet for about 50 years, but rather a cloud of ice water.
"Despite its location, this atmospheric feature is not related to volcanic activity but rather is a cloud of water ice driven by the influence of the downwind slope of the volcano on the airflow – what scientists call an orographic cloud or leeward – and a phenomenon in this region, "said ESA in a statement posted on its website.
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The space agency noted that the cloud had developed and changed shape during the day. It grows "in length during the local leeward morning of the volcano, almost parallel to the equator, and reaches such an impressive size that it could even be seen even by telescopes on Earth," he added. # 39; ESA.
The winter solstice of March in its northern hemisphere was held on October 16 and ESA noted that a "recurring seasonal ice-water cloud", similar to the cloud aforementioned, had formed in the past on the southwestern flank of the volcano. The Mars Express gear and others have actually observed the cloud in 2009, 2012 and 2015, ESA announced.
Despite the ESA proclamation, this has not prevented theorists from conspiracy on the Internet to proclaim that it could come from the volcano or something else.
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"I do not understand the conspiracy theory contingent that is getting ready regarding the clouds on Arsia Mons," wrote Dr. Tanya Harrison, director of research for the Space Science and Science Initiative at Arizona State University .
"What possible reason should we have for hiding volcanic eruptions on Mars?" "Damn, NASA shared a lot of pictures of volcanoes erupting on Io (shown here) and geysers on Enceladus!"
Others have sarcastically joked that it is not "a whiff of white smoke that indicates that the Martian council has chosen a new leader".
ESA has set up a Flickr page for people interested in making changes to the cloud via the volcano.
Follow Chris Ciaccia on Twitter @Chris_Ciaccia
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