Rapid Weather Changes Observed on Mars

NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope images of Mars, obtained over three consecutive days between July 9 and 11, 1997, dramatically show that the behavior of dust and water-ice clouds exhibit substantial daily variations. The full-disk images are shown along the top (Pathfinder landing site marked by the green crosses), and maps of the North polar region are shown along the bottom. (The maps are oriented with 0 degrees longitude to the bottom, and extend from 40 degrees North latitude to the pole; latitude circles are shown at 40, 60, and 80 degrees, and lines of longitude are shown every 45 degrees.) About 24 hours separates each of the images.