Temperature of the red planet. What's the weather like on Mars? What is the atmosphere of Mars and its composition? Who said you can live on Mars? What is a Martian year? What is the temperature of Mars in Celsius?

Foreign Mars researchers were surprised by the abnormally warm spring. Russian scientists have known about this since 2002

The Red Planet never ceases to amaze earthlings. Recently, the Curiosity rover found river gravel there, a pyramid-shaped stone, and sent back to Earth a photo of a beautiful solar eclipse... And also, according to Spanish researchers who installed their thermal sensors on the rover, it has become unusually warm on Mars - up to +6. For the Martian spring that is currently observed there, this is just a resort. Compatriots of Salvador Dali say that if the trend continues, then conversations about colonization will become more than real. But is Mars really warmer than before? What would earthlings see if they were on this planet now? "MK" found out this by talking with Russian scientists from the Institute space research RAS. Some of them recently returned from international conference in Madrid.

So, the REMS weather station installed on board the Curiosity rover discovered that the spring that came to Mars turned out to be unexpectedly warm. At least that’s how the representatives of the scientific team managing the rover presented the news. According to scientists, in particular Felipe Gomez from the Spanish Center for Astrobiology, the warmth on Mars greatly surprised him and his colleagues...

Curiosity's August 6 landing site was Bradbury's descent into southern hemisphere Red planet. Since the Martian spring is now beginning there, scientists are closely monitoring its features. According to them, since landing, daytime temperatures measured by the REMS station have been above freezing in half the cases. Thus, the average daily temperature was +6 degrees during the day and −70 degrees at night. This surprised scientists, who, in their own words, expected colder Martian days. “The fact that Mars is so “warm” during daylight hours surprised and interested us in itself. If this warming continues into summer, we will see temperatures in the 20s or more, which is great from a colonization perspective. It is likely that daytime temperatures will be able to keep the water in a liquid state. But it is still difficult to say whether such temperatures are the norm or just an anomaly,” Gomez continued.

We asked the staff of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences to solve Gomez’s problem.

— The indicated temperatures are normal for the Martian spring. In general, the weather there is very stable, we can predict it much more accurately than on Earth. And all because there is no turbulence (irregular mutual movements in the atmosphere) on Mars,” explains MIPT associate professor, senior Researcher IKI RAS Alexander RODIN.

- Why then did the spring warmth surprise the Spaniards?

“They are on the rise now, because their Center for Astrobiology has installed weather sensors on Curiosity, and at any opportunity they are looking for an excuse to talk about the weather.” What Felipe Gomez, who is more of a scientific official than a researcher, said is, of course, an exaggeration. Spanish sensors may have recorded some slight increase in temperature, but it does not indicate a serious trend.

According to Rodin, global warming could have led to dust storm(this happens on Mars 1-2 times a year, just during the period when it is spring or summer in the southern hemisphere). However, these storms are so powerful that they cover the entire planet with their train for 100-150 days. And since dust absorbs Sun rays and converts their energy into heat, then on Mars during such storms the average daily temperature can rise. The origin of such storms is currently a mystery to meteorologists. Apart from storms, the weather on Mars is almost always stable and predictable. Due to the very thin atmosphere, daytime heat quickly evaporates - and at night the surface of the planet can immediately cool by 100 degrees. The average daily temperature on Mars is almost always −50 degrees. However, in the hottest points, daytime temperatures can reach +20...30 degrees in summer time.

By the way, Rodin’s words are confirmed by the head of the laboratory of cosmic gamma spectroscopy Igor MITROFANOV, he is also the developer of the Russian HEND device, which is now operating on board the American Martian satellite Mars Odyssey.

“HAND has been “observing” seasonal processes on the Red Planet for about 5 Martian years continuously since February 2002,” says Mitrofanov. — We record the thickness of the winter cover of “dry snow” from atmospheric carbon dioxide in the northern and southern hemispheres. So far, the seasonal profile of accumulation and evaporation of Martian “dry snow” that we have measured is surprisingly accurately repeated every Martian year. This year is no exception. In the southern hemisphere of Mars, the usual Martian spring begins. On a summer day on the equator of Mars, the surface temperature can reach +30 degrees Celsius (read like here in Moscow).

By the way, according to Mitrofanov, if people landed on Mars in the spring, an amazing sight would await them here - geysers of carbon dioxide.

Spring geysers on Mars.

“In the spring, on Earth, snow melts and turns into water,” says Igor Mitrofanov. “That’s why streams flow on Earth in spring.” And on Mars, snow consists of frozen carbon dioxide, and as the temperature rises, it turns into carbon dioxide. This happens as follows: spring sun rays penetrate through snow cover and warm the soil surface. As a result, carbon dioxide appears under a layer of dry snow, which gradually accumulates in the surface space. The gas pressure increases, and somewhere in the upper layer of “dry snow” a crack forms, through which the accumulated gas suddenly bursts noisily to the surface. This is the nature of spring Martian geysers.

What else was discussed at the conference in Madrid

Polar vortexes very similar to Venus's have been discovered on Titan. Since the atmospheres on these planets move faster than the planets themselves, the vortices are very powerful formations that do not collapse for a long time. The discovery of vortices on Titan allows scientists to understand the commonality of the laws of nature operating on different planets.

Among exoplanets (planets located beyond solar system) similar to Earth have not yet been found. But Super-Earths have been discovered, the mass of which is 10 times more mass of our planet. True, they are more like Venus.

Mars- this is harsh, cold world, the conditions on which are very different from what we are used to. Despite the fact that the Sun (when viewed from the surface of Mars) appears here only slightly smaller than when observed from Earth, in fact Mars is located at a distance from it, that is, much further than our planet (149.5 million km .). Accordingly, and solar energy this planet gets a quarter less than the Earth.

However, distance from the Sun is only one of the reasons why the planet Mars is a cold planet. The second reason is that it is too thin, consisting of 95% carbon dioxide, and unable to retain enough heat.

Why is atmosphere so important? Because for our (and any other) planet, it serves as a kind of “thermal underwear” or “blanket” that prevents the surface from cooling too quickly. Now imagine that if on Earth, with its very dense atmosphere, in winter the temperature drops in some regions to -50-70 degrees Celsius, how cold it must be on Mars, whose blanket-atmosphere is 100 times thinner than the earth’s!

Snow on Mars - a landscape as seen by one of the rovers on the surface of the red planet. To be honest, here in Yakutia I saw exactly the same landscapes

Temperature on Mars day and night

So, Mars is a lifeless and cold planet, due to its thin atmosphere, completely deprived of the chance to ever “warm up”. However, what temperature is typically observed in Martian conditions?

average temperature on Mars is something around minus 60 degrees Celsius. So that you understand how cold it is, here’s food for thought: on Earth the average temperature is +14.8 degrees, so yes, it’s very, very “cool” on Mars. In winter, near the poles, temperatures on Mars can drop to -125 degrees Celsius, regardless of the time of day. On a summer day, near the equator, the planet is relatively warm: up to +20 degrees, but at night the thermometer will drop again to -73. You can’t say anything - the conditions are simply extreme!

As temperatures drop, particles of carbon dioxide in Mars' atmosphere freeze and fall as frost, covering the planet's surface and rocks like snow. Martian “snow” bears little resemblance to terrestrial snow, because its snowflakes are no larger in size than red blood cells in human blood. Rather, such “snow” resembles a thin fog that settles on the surface of the planet as it freezes. However, as soon as the Martian morning comes, and the planet’s atmosphere begins to warm up, carbon dioxide will again turn into a volatile compound, and again cover everything around with a white fog until it evaporates completely.

The ice caps of Mars are visible even from the ground in a good telescope.

Seasons (seasons) on Mars

Like our planet, Mars' axis is slightly inclined relative to the plane, which in turn means that, just like on Earth, Mars has 4 seasons, or seasons. However, due to the fact that the orbit of Mars around the Sun does not resemble an even circle, but is slightly shifted to the side relative to the center (the sun), the length of the Martian seasons is also uneven.

So, in the northern hemisphere of the planet, the longest season is spring, which lasts as many as seven on Mars earthly months. Summer And autumn about six months, but the Martian winter- the most a short time years, and lasts only four months.

During the Martian summer, the planet's polar ice cap, made mostly of carbon dioxide, shrinks significantly in size and may disappear altogether. However, even a short but unusually cold Martian winter is enough to build it up again. If there is water somewhere on Mars, then most likely you need to look for it at the pole, where it is trapped under a layer of frozen carbon dioxide.

Although climate of Mars closest to the earthly, it is unfavorable for life.

The atmosphere of this planet is more rarefied compared to the atmosphere of the Earth. It contains ninety-five percent carbon dioxide, four percent nitrogen and argon, and only one percent oxygen and water vapor.

Compared to Earth, the average atmospheric pressure on Mars is one hundred and sixty times less. Due to evaporation in summer and condensation in winter, as well as large quantity carbon dioxide at the poles, in the polar caps, the mass of the atmosphere varies greatly throughout the year.

Even though the Martian atmosphere contains very little water vapor, it is low temperatures and pressure, being in a state close to saturation, often gathers into clouds. Observations made by spacecraft have shown that there are wavy, cirrus and lee clouds on Mars.

During the cold season, there is often fog at the bottom of craters and over lowlands. Sometimes thin snow falls.

Research conducted by spacecraft has shown that currently liquid water not on Mars, but there is evidence of its presence in the past. In July 2008, NASA's Phoenix spacecraft discovered ice-like water in the ground. The average temperature on Mars is about -40 degrees Celsius. On the daytime half of the planet, summer temperatures rise to 20 degrees Celsius, but in winter night temperatures can drop to -125 degrees Celsius.

The thin atmosphere of Mars cannot retain heat for long, which explains the sudden temperature changes. Thus, we can say that Mars has a rather harsh climate, but it is not much colder there than in Antarctica.

Due to the temperature difference, strong winds often blow on Mars. Their speed reaches one hundred meters per second. Thanks to the low force of gravity, the winds raise huge clouds of dust. Long-lasting dust storms often rage on Mars. For example, one of them raged from September 1971 to January 1972 and raised about a billion tons of dust into the atmosphere to a height of ten kilometers. Temperature changes are also associated with the formation of dust devils on Mars.

The Earth's rotation axis is inclined to the orbital plane by 23.4 degrees, and that of Mars by 23.9 degrees; the Martian days almost coincide with the Earth's, therefore, on Mars, as on Earth, there is a change of seasons. In the polar regions seasonal changes appear most clearly. In winter, the polar caps occupy a large area. Winter in the southern hemisphere is long and cold, while in the northern hemisphere it is short and relatively moderate. In spring, the polar caps shrink significantly, but even in summer they do not disappear completely. And summer on Mars in the southern hemisphere is short and relatively warm, in the northern hemisphere it is long and cool.

Mars is now dry and cold climate(left), but in the early stages of the planet's evolution there most likely was liquid water and a thick atmosphere (right).

Studying

Observation history

Current observations

Weather

Temperature

The average temperature on Mars is significantly lower than on Earth: −63°C. Since the atmosphere of Mars is very rarefied, it does not smooth out daily fluctuations in surface temperature. Under the most favorable conditions in summer, on the daytime half of the planet the air warms up to 20 ° C (and at the equator - up to +27 ° C) - a completely acceptable temperature for the inhabitants of the Earth. Maximum temperature air temperature recorded by the Spirit rover was +35 °C. But winter at night, frost can reach even at the equator from −80 °C to −125 °C, and at the poles the night temperature can drop to −143 °C. However, daily temperature fluctuations are not as significant as on the atmosphereless Moon and Mercury. There are temperature oases on Mars, in the regions of the Phoenix Lake (solar plateau) and land of Noah The temperature difference ranges from −53°С to +22°С in summer and from −103°С to −43°С in winter. Thus, Mars is a very cold world, the climate there is much harsher than in Antarctica.

Atmosphere pressure

The atmosphere of Mars is more rarefied than the air shell of the Earth, and consists of more than 95% carbon dioxide, and the oxygen and water content is a fraction of a percent. The average pressure of the atmosphere at the surface is on average 0.6 kPa or 6 mbar, which is 160 less than the Earth's or equal to the Earth's at an altitude of almost 35 km from the Earth's surface). Atmospheric pressure undergoes strong daily and seasonal changes.

Clouds and precipitation

There is no more than a thousandth of a percent of water vapor in the Martian atmosphere, but according to the results of recent (2013) studies, this is still more than previously thought, and more than in the upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere, and at low pressure and temperature it is in in a state close to saturation, so it often gathers in clouds. As a rule, water clouds form at altitudes of 10-30 km above the surface. They are concentrated mainly at the equator and are observed almost throughout the year. Clouds observed on high levels atmosphere (more than 20 km), are formed as a result of CO 2 condensation. The same process is responsible for the formation of low (at an altitude of less than 10 km) clouds in the polar regions in winter, when the atmospheric temperature drops below the freezing point of CO 2 (-126 °C); in summer, similar thin formations of ice H 2 O are formed

Formations of a condensation nature are also represented by fogs (or haze). They often stand above lowlands - canyons, valleys - and at the bottom of craters during the cold season.

Snowstorms can occur in the atmosphere of Mars. In 2008, the Phoenix rover observed virgu in the polar regions - precipitation under clouds that evaporates before reaching the surface of the planet. According to initial estimates, the rate of precipitation in Virga was very low. However, recent (2017) modeling of Martian atmospheric phenomena showed that at mid-latitudes, where there is a regular cycle of day and night, clouds cool sharply after sunset, and this can lead to snowstorms, during which particle speeds can actually reach 10 m/s. Scientists admit that strong winds combined with low clouds (usually Martian clouds form at an altitude of 10-20 km) can lead to snow falling on the surface of Mars. This phenomenon is similar to terrestrial microbursts - squalls of downward wind with a speed of up to 35 m/s, often associated with thunderstorms.

Snow has indeed been observed several times. So, in the winter of 1979, a thin layer of snow fell in the Viking-2 landing area, which remained for several months.

Dust storms and tornadoes

A characteristic feature of the atmosphere of Mars is the constant presence of dust, particles of which have a size of about 1.5 mm and consist mainly of iron oxide. Low gravity allows even thin air currents to raise huge clouds of dust to a height of up to 50 km. And winds, which are one of the manifestations of temperature differences, often blow over the surface of the planet (especially in late spring - early summer in the southern hemisphere, when the temperature difference between the hemispheres is especially sharp), and their speed reaches 100 m/s. In this way, extensive dust storms are formed, long observed in the form of individual yellow clouds, and sometimes in the form of a continuous yellow veil covering the entire planet. Most often, dust storms occur near the polar caps; their duration can reach 50-100 days. A faint yellow haze in the atmosphere is usually observed after large dust storms and is easily detected by photometric and polarimetric methods.

Dust storms, clearly visible in images taken from orbital vehicles, turned out to be barely noticeable when photographed from landers. The passage of dust storms in the landing sites of these space stations was recorded only by sudden change temperature, pressure and a very slight darkening of the general background of the sky. The layer of dust that settled after the storm in the vicinity of the Viking landing sites amounted to only a few micrometers. All this indicates a rather low bearing capacity Martian atmosphere.

From September 1971 to January 1972, a global dust storm occurred on Mars, which even prevented photography of the surface from the Mariner 9 probe. The mass of dust in the atmospheric column (with an optical depth of 0.1 to 10), estimated during this period, ranged from 7.8⋅10 -5 to 1.66⋅10 -3 g/cm 2 . Thus, total weight dust particles in the atmosphere of Mars during the period of global dust storms can reach up to 10 8 - 10 9 tons, which is comparable to total number dust in earth's atmosphere.

Question about water availability

For a stable existence clean water in liquid state temperature And The partial pressure of water vapor in the atmosphere should be above the triple point on the phase diagram, whereas now they are far from the corresponding values. Indeed, research conducted by the Mariner 4 spacecraft in 1965 showed that there is currently no liquid water on Mars, but data from NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers indicate the presence of water in the past. On July 31, 2008, ice water was discovered on Mars at the landing site of NASA's Phoenix spacecraft. The device discovered ice deposits directly in the ground. There are several facts to support the claim that water was present on the planet's surface in the past. Firstly, minerals were found that could only be formed as a result of prolonged exposure to water. Secondly, very old craters have been practically erased from the face of Mars. The modern atmosphere could not cause such destruction. A study of the rate of formation and erosion of craters made it possible to establish that wind and water destroyed them most strongly about 3.5 billion years ago. Many ravines are approximately the same age.

NASA announced on September 28, 2015 that seasonal flows of liquid salt water currently exist on Mars. These formations manifest themselves in the warm season and disappear in the cold season. Planetary scientists came to their conclusions by analyzing high-quality images obtained by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) scientific instrument of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).

On July 25, 2018, a report was released about the discovery, based on research by the MARSIS radar. The work showed the presence of a subglacial lake on Mars, located at a depth of 1.5 km under the ice of the South Polar Cap (on Planum Australia), about 20 km wide. This became the first known permanent body of water on Mars.

Seasons

As on Earth, on Mars there is a change of seasons due to the inclination of the rotation axis to the orbital plane, so in winter the polar cap grows in the northern hemisphere, and almost disappears in the southern hemisphere, and after six months the hemispheres change places. Moreover, due to the rather large eccentricity of the planet’s orbit at perihelion ( winter solstice in the northern hemisphere) she receives up to 40% more solar radiation than in aphelion, and in the northern hemisphere the winters are short and relatively moderate, and the summers are long but cool, while in the southern hemisphere, on the contrary, the summers are short and relatively warm, and the winters are long and cold. In connection with this, the southern cap in winter expands to half the pole-equator distance, and the northern cap only to a third. When summer begins at one of the poles, carbon dioxide from the corresponding polar cap evaporates and enters the atmosphere; the winds carry it to the opposite cap, where it freezes again. Thus, the carbon dioxide cycle occurs, which, along with different sizes The polar ice caps cause the pressure of Mars's atmosphere to change as it orbits the Sun. Due to the fact that in winter up to 20-30% of the entire atmosphere freezes in the polar cap, the pressure in the corresponding area drops accordingly.

Changes over time

As on Earth, the climate of Mars underwent long-term changes and in the early stages of the planet's evolution was very different from what it is today. The difference is that main role in the cyclic changes in the Earth's climate, changes in the eccentricity of the orbit and the precession of the rotation axis play a role, while the inclination of the rotation axis remains approximately constant due to the stabilizing influence of the Moon, while Mars, not having such a large satellite, can undergo significant changes in the inclination of its rotation axis. Calculations have shown that the inclination of Mars' rotation axis, which is now 25° - approximately the same value as that of the Earth - was 45° in the recent past, and on a scale of millions of years could fluctuate from 10° to 50°.

“We have rubbish weather on Mars!” - this is what was said in one poem about astronauts, composed at a time when there was still an aura of romance... But really, what kind of weather does it have on the “red planet”?

When we talk about weather on Earth, we primarily mean the state of the atmosphere. On Mars it is also there - but not like ours. The fact is that Mars, unlike Earth, does not have magnetic field, which would hold the atmosphere - and the solar wind (a stream of ionized particles from the solar corona) destroys it. Therefore, the atmospheric pressure at the surface of the planet is 160 times lower than on Earth. This cannot protect the planet from daily temperature fluctuations (since it does not prevent the radiation of thermal energy into space), therefore at the equator the air temperature, rising to +30 °C during the day, drops to -80 °C at night, and at the poles it is even lower - to -143 °C.

But what is very similar for our planets is the angle of inclination of the rotation axis, “responsible” for the change of seasons on the planet (for Earth it is 23.439281, and for Mars - 25.19, as you can see - not so a big difference), therefore there is also a change of seasons on Mars - only they last twice as long (after all, the Martian year is almost 2 times longer than the Earth's - 687 Earth days). There are also climatic zones, seasons vary from hemisphere to hemisphere.

So, in the northern hemisphere, winter comes when Mars is closest to the Sun, and in the southern hemisphere, when it moves away, in the summer everything happens the other way around. Therefore, winter in the northern hemisphere is shorter and warmer than in the southern hemisphere, and summer is longer but colder.

But most noticeable (at least to an observer from the ground) is the change of seasons in the polar regions covered with ice caps. They never completely disappear, but their size changes. In winter the distance from south pole to the border of the southern polar cap is equal to half the distance to the equator, and at the north pole - a third of this distance. With the arrival of spring, the polar caps become smaller, “retreating” towards the poles. In this case, “dry ice” (frozen carbon dioxide), which makes up upper layer ice caps, and in a gaseous state is transported by the wind to the opposite pole, where at this time winter sets in - and (therefore, the cap grows at the opposite pole).

On Earth, when interested in the weather forecast, we first of all ask the question: will it rain? So, on Mars you don’t have to be afraid of rain - at such a low atmospheric pressure Water cannot exist in a liquid state. But snow does happen. Thus, snow fell on Mars in 1979 in the landing area of ​​the Viking 2 spacecraft, and did not melt for quite a long time - several months.

In lowlands, crater floors and canyons there is often fog during the cold season, and water vapor present in the atmosphere forms clouds.

But what we should be wary of on Mars (if we ever go there) are hurricane-force winds, tornadoes and dust storms. Wind speeds of up to 100 m/s are common on Mars, and due to the low gravity, the winds kick up huge amounts of dust into the air.

The largest dust storms originate in the southern hemisphere of Mars in the spring (when the planet warms up quickly) - and can drag on for a long time and cover vast areas. So, from September 1971 to January 1972, a dust storm raged on Mars, engulfing the entire planet - about a billion tons of dust was raised to a 10-kilometer height. This storm almost disrupted the mission of the Mariner 9 spacecraft - due to the dense dust veil, the surface of the planet was impossible to observe. The Mariner computer had to delay the photography (and still no one could vouch for its success - after all, it was impossible to predict when the storm would stop).

There are also “dust devils” on Mars - vortices that lift dust and sand into the air. On Earth, such a phenomenon occurs in deserts, but Mars is all desert, and such a dust devil can occur anywhere.

As you can see, the climate of Mars is really not very favorable. And in order for “apple trees to bloom” there, you will have to either change the planet very much, or wait for nature to do it... In any case, mass settlement of Mars is unlikely to take place in the foreseeable future.