"The length of a night on Mars isn't too different from here on Earth, lasting just over 12 hours on average. Thanks to its similar axial tilt, it also experiences longer nights in winter and shorter nights during summer - but the gloom is eerie, with temperatures plummeting to as low as -100 degrees Fahrenheit near its equator. And thanks to the complete lack of artificial light, the night sky will shimmer with the usual star constellations we've come to know back on Earth."
"Technically, though, it's not a complete blackout on the Red Planet's surface at night. NASA's Curiosity Mars rover, which has been wandering the planet's deserted landscapes for almost 14 years, is outfitted with LED lights at the end of its robotic arm, allowing it to light up the seemingly endless darkness. Case in point, a December 6 image recently featured by NASA shows the rover's lights lighting up a hole it drilled into the surface of the rock, dubbed "Nevado Sajama.""
Mars has nights averaging just over 12 hours with seasonal variation due to a similar axial tilt; winter nights lengthen and summers shorten. Night temperatures can plunge to around -100°F near the equator, and the absence of artificial light reveals a clear starry sky. NASA's Curiosity rover carries LED lights on its robotic arm and a Mars Hand Lens Imager capable of true-color 1600×1200 images with UV and white LEDs, enabling nighttime photography. The LEDs illuminate deep shadows like drill holes and instrument inlet tubes. A 2018 change to Curiosity's drilling method produced rough, dusty holes that obscure layering details.
Read at Futurism
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]