Atmospheric haze and limb imaged by the Mars Express HRSC instrument
Date: 05 October 2011
Depicts: Atmospheric haze and limb imaged by the Mars Express HRSC instrument
Copyright: Image courtesy of O. Stenzel et al.
This image, acquired by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on Mars Express, shows the atmospheric haze and limb of the planet. The three different panels display the output of three imaging channels: blue, nadir, and green. All three channels show a continuously bright limb haze until an altitude of about 20 km. At higher altitudes the limb haze becomes darker and stratified. As Mars Express moves along its orbit, limb observations are performed at different locations above the surface.
The ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter will investigate trace gases – atmospheric gases that are present in small concentrations (less than 1 per cent of the atmosphere). To aid this analysis, complementary measurements of temperature, pressure, dust, ice, water vapour, clouds and haze will be performed on board.
This image was presented during the 'Mars Atmosphere: Modelling and Observations' workshop, on 9 February 2011, in Paris, as part of the scientific paper 'Limb observations of the Martian Atmosphere with Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera'. The list of abstracts from this workshop are available by following the link in the right-hand menu.
