The iridescent cloud reveals new clues about ice formation in the Martian atmosphere (no little green men, sorry).

"I'll always remember the first time I saw those iridescent clouds and was sure at first it was some color artifact."

At the surface, Mars is a desolate, barren world with a rocky landscape, massive dust storms and extreme temperature swings. However, a rover recently captured a splash of color in the sky as rare clouds drifted overhead.

Red-and-green-tinted clouds drift through the Martian sky in a new set of images captured by NASA's Curiosity rover using its Mastcam—its main set of "eyes." Taken over 16 minutes on Jan. 17 (the 4,426th Martian day,

NASA’s Curiosity rover has captured breathtaking images of red and green-tinted clouds drifting across the Martian sky. These clouds, called noctilucent clouds (which means “night shining” in Latin), appear at twilight and are visible because the setting sun scatters light through them.

The phenomenon of twilight clouds was first observed on Mars in 1997 during NASA’s Pathfinder mission. However, it wasn’t until 2019 that the Curiosity Rover captured the first-ever images of iridescence in Martian clouds.

NASA's Curiosity rover captures stunning images of Martian twilight clouds, shimmering in red and green hues, revealing insights into Mars' atmosphere and weather patterns.

NASA has shared a breathtaking video of colourful clouds in the Martian sky. Captured by the Curiosity Rover, exploring the Red Planet, it used its Mastcam to record a 16-minute video of these colourful clouds.

Latin for “night shining,” noctilucent clouds (also known as twilight clouds) are responsible for Earth’s vibrant red, orange, and purple dawn and dusk skies. If the conditions are just right, they sometimes even take on an iridescent,

NASA’s Curiosity rover captured stunning images of Martian twilight clouds, revealing iridescent dry ice formations on Mars.