NASA's Curiosity rover has been exploring the Red Planet since 2012, taking countless photographs, drilling small holes into the surface, and looking for evidence of past habitability. It's also actively monitoring the climate.
Curiosity is equipped with a compact weather station that records temperature, humidity, wind speed, barometric pressure, and ultraviolet radiation levels. This data is regularly transmitted back to Earth, helping scientists better understand atmospheric conditions on this lifeless world.
On May 12, the maximum temperature reached 11 degrees below zero, while the minimum temperature was a stunning 114 degrees below zero.
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An image of the Curiosity rover on the surface of Mars on May 11, 2025. Photo courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech It's late fall in Gale Crater, the region of Mars that Curiosity is exploring, which promises even colder weather in the coming months. |
Temperatures on Mars can reach 70 degrees during the summer months and drop to 225 degrees below zero during the coldest winter nights. It is also possible to experience dramatic temperature swings over distances of just a few feet.
“Because of the extremely thin atmosphere, heat from the Sun quickly escapes the planet,” NASA explained. “If you were on the surface of Mars at the equator at midday, you would feel like it was spring below and winter above.”
NASA also recorded atmospheric phenomena similar to those on Earth, such as dust devils and shimmering clouds.
Sourse: www.upi.com
