Mars, Earth's nearest neighbour, has caught the imagination of scientists who have been keenly studying the red planet for signs of life and to know whether humans can one day live there. One such research has revealed the amazing cloud patterns that run on Mars.

Images of clouds on Mars have been captured by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) instrument in orbit on board the European Space Agency (ESA) Mars Express spacecraft since 2005.&nbsp;The collection spans more than 20 years.

The collection of cloud pictures, or "cloud atlas", shows the amazing atmospheric phenomena witnessed there. While some of them are similar to ones seen on Earth, others are unique.&nbsp;

The atlas has been made by Daniela Tirsch at the German Aerospace Center in Berlin and her colleagues who collected images of these clouds.

The dazzling array of clouds comes into existence when its thin atmosphere, made up of primarily carbon dioxide, condenses and mixes with dust and water vapour.&nbsp;

"Clouds on Mars are just as diverse and fascinating as those we see in our skies on Earth, with some features unique to the red planet," Tirsch said.

The ones that resemble those on Earth are the gravity wave clouds. The thin clouds are formed when features on the land below force parts of the atmosphere upwards which then interact with other columns of atmospheric gas.&nbsp;

The other types of clouds are cloud streets which spread out over larger regions. They look the same as gravity wave clouds but are caused by chaotic currents in Mars’s atmosphere. Speaking about the clouds, Tirsch said at the Europlanet Science Congress in Berlin, "They are enigmatic but beautiful."

"One of my favourite phenomena are the beautiful 'cloud streets'—linear rows of fleecy clouds that develop around the huge volcanic Tharsis rise and the northern lowlands in northern spring and summer. While they resemble cumulus clouds on Earth, they are formed under different atmospheric conditions," said Dr Tirsch.&nbsp;

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The clouds not found on Earth are the dust clouds formed due to the planet's atmospheric conditions. These clouds are bright red, carry huge amounts of Martian dust and can extend for hundreds of kilometres.&nbsp;

"We also see impressive dust clouds that can spread hundreds of kilometres—a phenomenon we luckily don't experience on Earth."

<img alt="Orographic clouds near volcanoes (Photo: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin/A. Cowart)" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f58f34c9-8b58-4887-8729-9c08dc52f150" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Mars%20clouds.png" />

(Photo:&nbsp;ESA/DLR/FU Berlin/A. Cowart)

Unique features of Mars give birth to orographic clouds. These are seen near volcanoes when large amounts of gas is forced upwards. Some of these clouds can also mix with dust or dust-filled storms and create clouds that look like eruptions.&nbsp;

The twilight clouds especially stunned the researchers. “We were astonished at the wealth of morphologies that twilight clouds could have,” said Tirsch.

They form near the horizon as the sun rises on Mars and take on different appearances.

Mars, Earth's nearest neighbour, has caught the imagination of scientists who have been keenly studying the red planet for signs of life and to know whether humans can one day live there.

Mars, Earth's nearest neighbour, has caught the imagination of scientists who have been keenly studying the red planet for signs of life and to know whether humans can one day live there. One such research has revealed the amazing cloud patterns that run on Mars. Images of clouds on Mars have been captured by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) instrument in orbit on board the European Space Agency (ESA) Mars Express spacecraft since 2005. The collection spans more than 20 years. The collection of cloud pictures, or "cloud atlas", shows the amazing atmospheric phenomena witnessed there. While some of them are similar to ones seen on Earth, others are unique. The atlas has been made by Daniela Tirsch at the German Aerospace Center in Berlin and her colleagues who collected images of these clouds. The dazzling array of clouds comes into existence when its thin atmosphere, made up of primarily carbon dioxide, condenses and mixes with dust and water vapour. "Clouds on Mars are just as diverse and fascinating as those we see in our skies on Earth, with some features unique to the red planet," Tirsch said. The ones that resemble those on Earth are the gravity wave clouds. The thin clouds are formed when features on the land below force parts of the atmosphere upwards which then interact with other columns of atmospheric gas. The other types of clouds are cloud streets which spread out over larger regions. They look the same as gravity wave clouds but are caused by chaotic currents in Mars’s atmosphere. Speaking about the clouds, Tirsch said at the Europlanet Science Congress in Berlin, "They are enigmatic but beautiful." "One of my favourite phenomena are the beautiful 'cloud streets'—linear rows of fleecy clouds that develop around the huge volcanic Tharsis rise and the northern lowlands in northern spring and summer. While they resemble cumulus clouds on Earth, they are formed under different atmospheric conditions," said Dr Tirsch. Also Read: Invisible force zoomed through solar system and threw off objects from their orbit The clouds not found on Earth are the dust clouds formed due to the planet's atmospheric conditions. These clouds are bright red, carry huge amounts of Martian dust and can extend for hundreds of kilometres. "We also see impressive dust clouds that can spread hundreds of kilometres—a phenomenon we luckily don't experience on Earth." (Photo: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin/A. Cowart) Unique features of Mars give birth to orographic clouds. These are seen near volcanoes when large amounts of gas is forced upwards. Some of these clouds can also mix with dust or dust-filled storms and create clouds that look like eruptions. The twilight clouds especially stunned the researchers. “We were astonished at the wealth of morphologies that twilight clouds could have,” said Tirsch. They form near the horizon as the sun rises on Mars and take on different appearances.

Twilight clouds, dust clouds and more line the atmosphere of Mars

NASA's Mars rover Perseverance has sent back first-ever sounds of driving on the Martian surface.

The 16-minute raw audio released by Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California on Wednesday is from Persevarance's six metal wheels and suspension on its first test drive two weeks ago.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;

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"If I heard these sounds driving my car, I'd pull over and call for a tow," Dave Gruel, an engineer on the rover team, said.&nbsp;

"But if you take a minute to consider what you're hearing and where it was recorded, it makes perfect sense," he further added in a written statement.&nbsp;

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Perseverance, the biggest and most advanced rover ever sent to Mars landed near an ancient river delta on February 18 to discover the origins of past life.&nbsp;

Samples will be collected from the Red Planet's most promising rocks for eventual return to Earth for analysis.

The rover is embedded with two microphones and one has already has captured the sounds of wind and rock-zapping lasers.

The other microphone was intended to record the descent and landing.&nbsp;

This second mike failed to record the rover's arrival at Mars but was able to record the sounds of first test drive on March 4. 
&nbsp;

NASA's Mars rover Perseverance has sent back first-ever sounds of driving on the Martian surface. The 16-minute raw audio released by Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California on Wednesday is from Persevarance's six metal wheels and suspension on its first test drive two weeks ago.

NASA's Mars rover Perseverance has sent back first-ever sounds of driving on the Martian surface. The 16-minute raw audio released by Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California on Wednesday is from Persevarance's six metal wheels and suspension on its first test drive two weeks ago. Watch | "If I heard these sounds driving my car, I'd pull over and call for a tow," Dave Gruel, an engineer on the rover team, said. "But if you take a minute to consider what you're hearing and where it was recorded, it makes perfect sense," he further added in a written statement. Also read | NASA discovers three microbes that may help grow plants on Mars Perseverance, the biggest and most advanced rover ever sent to Mars landed near an ancient river delta on February 18 to discover the origins of past life. Samples will be collected from the Red Planet's most promising rocks for eventual return to Earth for analysis. The rover is embedded with two microphones and one has already has captured the sounds of wind and rock-zapping lasers. The other microphone was intended to record the descent and landing. This second mike failed to record the rover's arrival at Mars but was able to record the sounds of first test drive on March 4.

What is the sound of driving on Mars? NASA's probe finds

China's&nbsp;space agency on Thursday released three high-definition images of Mars, sent by its space probe Tianwen-1.

The images were captured by the high-resolution camera on the probe at a distance of about 330 to 350 km from the surface of The Red Planet, said the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

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Taken from a resolution of about 0.7 metres, the panchromatic showed ridges, dunes small craters, on the Martian surface.&nbsp;

It was taken by a medium-resolution camera and displays Mars' north polar region, the Chinese space agency said.

It added that the estimated diameter of the largest impact crater in the images is about 620 metres.&nbsp;

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The spacecraft, comprising an orbiter, a lander and a rover, entered the parking orbit around Mars on February 10.&nbsp;

The five-tonne spacecraft is named Tianwen-1, which roughly translates to "Questions to Heaven".&nbsp;

It was launched about the same time as a rival US mission on Mars and is expected to touch down on the surface of the Red Planet in May.

The mission is the latest in China's space programme, which intends to kick off a crewed space station by 2022 and eventually send an astronaut to&nbsp;the moon.&nbsp;

China's space agency on Thursday released three high-definition images of Mars, sent by its space probe Tianwen-1. The images were captured by the high-resolution camera on the probe at a distance of about 330 to 350 km from the surface of The Red Planet, said the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

China's space agency on Thursday released three high-definition images of Mars, sent by its space probe Tianwen-1. The images were captured by the high-resolution camera on the probe at a distance of about 330 to 350 km from the surface of The Red Planet, said the China National Space Administration (CNSA). × Taken from a resolution of about 0.7 metres, the panchromatic showed ridges, dunes small craters, on the Martian surface. It was taken by a medium-resolution camera and displays Mars' north polar region, the Chinese space agency said. It added that the estimated diameter of the largest impact crater in the images is about 620 metres. Also read | 'Dear Moon': Japanese billionaire invites applications for space expedition The spacecraft, comprising an orbiter, a lander and a rover, entered the parking orbit around Mars on February 10. The five-tonne spacecraft is named Tianwen-1, which roughly translates to "Questions to Heaven". It was launched about the same time as a rival US mission on Mars and is expected to touch down on the surface of the Red Planet in May. The mission is the latest in China's space programme, which intends to kick off a crewed space station by 2022 and eventually send an astronaut to the moon.

Watch | High-resolution images from China's Mars probe shared

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Twilight clouds, dust clouds and more line the atmosphere of Mars

What is the sound of driving on Mars? NASA's probe finds

Watch | High-resolution images from China's Mars probe shared