Mars Weather | God's World News
Mars Weather
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Posted: February 21, 2019

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NOW for the weather on Mars! NASA’s newest lander is now offering daily reports on the red planet’s winter. And guess what? It’s coooold.

Workers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory just started posting Mars weather online. They also post wind speed and atmospheric pressure. The data comes from the InSight lander. (You can read about what InSight does in Science Soup.)

How cold is it on Mars? On February 17, InSight recorded a high of two degrees Fahrenheit and a low of minus 138 degrees! On the same day, the coldest temperature in the United States was minus 27 degrees in Taylor Park, Colorado. Mars is famous for its wild temperature changes and dust storms.

No one lives on Mars, of course. (Good thing! In this Mars winter, a parka wouldn’t help much!) But scientists need to know the local Mars weather. One of InSight’s jobs is to check Mars for marsquakes. So scientists want to know that InSight’s seismometer is sensing real marsquakes—not just wind or pressure changes.

InSight landed near the Mars equator in November. NASA’s Curiosity rover also gives weather updates while roaming around Mars about 340 miles away.

The InSight lander. This image was put together from 11 photos taken using its robotic arm. The two white stalks between the center and the solar panels are weather sensors. (NASA via AP)