APOD: 2025 June 15 Б Two Worlds One Sun
Explanation:
How different does sunset appear from Mars than from Earth?
For comparison, two images of our common star were taken at
sunset, one from Earth and one from Mars.
These images were scaled to have the same angular width and are
featured here side-by-side.
A quick inspection will reveal that the
Sun appears slightly smaller from
Mars than from
Earth.
This makes sense since
Mars is 50% further from the
Sun than
Earth.
More striking, perhaps, is that the
Martian sunset is noticeably bluer near the Sun than the
typically orange
colors near the setting Sun from Earth.
The reason for the
blue hues from Mars is
not fully understood, but thought to be related to
forward scattering properties of
Martian dust.
The terrestrial sunset was taken in 2012 March from
Marseille,
France, while the Martian sunset was captured in 2015 by
NASA's robotic
Curiosity rover from
Gale crater on
Mars.
APOD Turns 30!:
Free Public Lecture in Cork, Ireland on June 24
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
