The online community has sparked a debate after amateur astronomers discovered something like clouds on the surface of Mars in the past few days.
Thermal cameras from Mars Odyssey, a spacecraft flying around Mars in the United States, have detected “clouds,” MSNBC reported.
“Clouds on Mars are not something scientists have never thought of, but these clouds are much bigger than our expectations,” said Jonathan Hill, a scientist at the University of Arizona in the USA.
The spacecraft’s thermal cameras are capable of capturing objects emitting heat in visible and infrared light, Hill said. Thus, researchers can study both the structure of the cloud and its temperature.
The presence of the cloud on Mars is the subject of heated discussion on many astronomy forums. Sean Walker, an expert with Sky & Telescope magazine, said an amateur astronomer named Wayne Jaeschke in Pennsylvania, United States, was the first person on Earth to see a white cloud on the red planet. After that, many more looked at the photos taken of Mars from March 12 and also found clouds. The size of the cloud decreases.
Many theories have been put forward. Some people guessed that an asteroid crashed into Mars and the cloud was the dust that rose as a result of the impact. Others think it is just the result of the reflection of light.
Scientists say they need more data from large telescopes around the world to decode the mysterious cloud on Mars. However, what professional astronomers learned after the incident: Amateur astronomers can also make an important contribution to the discovery of interesting things in the universe.
