A Long Cloud on Mars

science.nasa.gov

6 pointskarakoram3 comments

> Made of water-ice, the most familiar process that causes cloud crystals to form around bits of dust would fail due to the thinness and lack of dust high in the Martian atmosphere.

Can anyone translate this sentence? Is it saying it's made of water-ice or that it's definitely not made of water-ice?

It is made of water-ice, however it cannot be forming clouds using the same formation process that happens on Earth. The typical cloud formation process that happens on Earth has water forming around bits of dust, but on mars the atmosphere is too thin to have dust particles at that altitude. So something else is causing the cloud formation.

At least that is my read of it.

I think there was a recent paper about this, I seem to recall seeing a discussion of the process somewhere.

Could surely be warm humid and dusty gas emitting from the volcano right there, which as it cools allows the water to condense out onto the particles..?

I mean, I am kinda a genius its true but surely they also have some clever people on the staff who would have thought of that..?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com