Martian Twilight

Description

False-colour image from NASA’s Mars exploration rover Spirit of the western sky from Gusev Crater just after sunset. There is a bluish glow in the sky where the sun has just set. Such glows can remain visible for up to 2 hours after sunset or before sunrise. The glow is caused by high altitude dust scattering sunlight around to the night side of the planet. Spirit and its sister rover Opportunity were launched in the summer of 2003. Spirit landed on Mars on 3 January 2004. Its mission is to analyse soil and rocks and search for water. Image taken on Spirit’s 464th Martian day, 23 April 2005. (Photo by Science Photo Library)