Mars may have only a thin atmosphere compared to other Solar System planets, but boy does it make the most of it. Water ice can rise high in the sky to form thin clouds. Wild winds can whip up into uncontrolled dust storms that shroud the entire planet, or create dust towers that extend almost into space.

So it should come as no surprise that NASA's Mars Curiosity rover, beavering away in the Gale Crater, sometimes lays its electronic eyes on Martian weather phenomena and now, it's spotted a dust devil spinning across the rocky crater floor.

Seeing weather phenomena on Mars that we also see on Earth isn't just interesting, though - it can also tell us a lot about seasonal atmospheric changes on the Red Planet.

It's coming into Martian summer in the planet's southern hemisphere, where the Gale Crater can be found, and the atmosphere in the region is heating up. Just as uneven heating of the atmosphere on Earth generates atmospheric movement, so too is the Martian atmosphere affected.

"Stronger surface heating tends to produce stronger convection and convective vortices, which consist of fast winds whipping around low pressure cores," writes atmospheric scientist Claire Newman of Aeolis Research on the Mars Exploration blog.

"If those vortices are strong enough, they can raise dust from the surface and become visible as 'dust devils' that we can image with our cameras."

Dust devils are pretty well understood, and they come about the same way on both Earth and Mars. They form best in relatively flat, dry terrain, when the air at the surface level is warmer than the air above it.

This hot surface air rises through the cooler, denser air, creating an updraft. This causes the cooler air to sink. If a horizontal wind then blows through this vertical circulation, a dust devil whips into action.

They're extremely common on Mars, but we only know this because, as they move across the ground, they sweep up the dust in their path, leaving tracks behind them. Actually seeing them in action on the Red Planet is quite rare, since our observational capabilities are limited, and dust devils themselves are relatively short-lived.

The dust devil above, seen in the top centre of the image, was captured by Curiosity's Navcam on Sol 2847, and covers a span of about 5 minutes, Newman says. Even though it seems ghostly, the fact that we can see it means it was pretty powerful.

"We often have to process these images, by enhancing what's changed between them, before dust devils clearly show up," she writes. "But this dust devil was so impressive that - if you look closely! - you can just see it moving to the right, at the border between the darker and lighter slopes, even in the raw images."

Studying these movies can reveal a lot about dust devils on Mars - where they form, for instance, how they evolve, how long they last, the type of dust they pick up, and how they vary from location to location.

They can also reveal wind speed and duration, which, in combination with meteorological readings, can help scientists learn more about Martian weather, and how dust devils fit into it.

Curiosity is the only operational rover on Mars at the moment (InSight is a stationary lander), so whatever surface information can be gleaned on Martial dust devils is very limited. Mars also has operational orbiters, though, which cover a lot more ground.

These have caught the occasional dust devil in action from space, as well as the many, many tracks they have left behind after they fade away.

Original post:

NASA Rover Glimpses a Ghostly Martian Dust Devil Whirling Across The Red Planet - ScienceAlert

The origin of the strange ridged texture of this Mars terrain, as seen by the MRO HiRise camera, is a puzzle.

For as much as we know about Mars, a lot of the planet remains mysterious. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) snapped a picture of "puzzling" ridged terrain located near a wild region called Aureum Chaos.

The MRO's HiRise camera took a closer look at the area. "In this image we can see much detail, but the origin of the surface texture is still intriguing," wrote the University of Arizona HiRise team in a picture-of-the-day feature on Aug. 30.

From the lab to your inbox. Get the latest science stories from CNET every week.

The HiRise team came up with one possible explanation, which starts with a long-ago layering of sediments left by water or volcanic activity.

"A crudely polygonal patterned ground was created by stresses in the sediments, and groundwater followed the fractures and deposited minerals that cemented the sediments. This was followed by perhaps billions of years of erosion by the wind, leaving the cemented fractures as high-standing ridges," the HiRise group suggested.

But take that idea with a grain of martian sand. "Of course, this story is almost certainly incomplete if not totally wrong," the feature concluded.

Rough landscapes aren't good candidates for rover exploration or human landing sites. This is where helicopters like the one traveling with NASA's recently launched Perseverance rover could one day come in handy.

If successful, the Ingenuity Mars chopper could kick off a new trend in the exploration of other worlds, giving us close-up views of locations other robotic explorers can't visit.

The story of Mars geology is an unfinished book, but we're adding chapters all the time, even if some of them end in question marks.

Read the original here:

NASA puzzles over mysterious Mars ridges billions of years in the making - CNET

The full moon rises beside One World Trade Center in New York City on September 5, 2017 as seen from ... [+] Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

Each Monday I pick out the northern hemispheres celestial highlights (mid-northern latitudes) for the week ahead, but be sure to check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy and eclipses.

This week stars with a slight meteor shower, but theres no doubting the star attraction. Rising near-full on Tuesday night and setting near-full on Wednesday morning, the Corn Moonthe final full Moon of the seasonswill dominate the night sky all week. As it wanes, catch it shining beside Mars, the red planet, on Thursday.

Producing a mere six shooting stars per hour on average, the Aurigid meteor shower is nothing to get too excited about, but if youre out stargazing you just might spot one.

Aurigids are created by dust and debris left in Earths orbital path by comet Kiess (C/1911 N1), a long-periodcometdiscovered 75 years ago that orbits the Sun roughly once every 2,000 years.

There was a really big outburst in 2007 when Earth crossed through its densest stream of material, but the next big one isnt predicted until 2077.

Its named after the constellation of Auriga, which is the area of the sky where the shooting stars appear to originate from, but they can appear anywhere in the sky.

A "Strawberry Moon" rises over the Pacific Ocean at Narrawallee Beach, located near Mollymook on the ... [+] South Coast of New South Wales in Australia, June 6, 2020. (Photo by David Gray/Getty Images)

Traditionally the Harvest Moon is Septembers Moon, though technically speaking that refers to the closest full Moon to the September (or fall/autumnal) equinox. That makes Octobers full Moon the Harvest Moon. So what do we call this Moon? In the UK it tends to be called the Fruit Moon, with Corn Moon or Barley Moon offered as a replacement.

Whatever you decide (after all, the names of the Moon are largely fictional anyway), get yourself a view of a clear eastern horizon at dusk today to see the delicate orangey hues of a rising full Moon. For Europe and North America the Moon will rise almost full shortly after sunset tonight.

Once youve seen that majestic sight, ponder the fact that today an asteroid measuring 22 meters by 49 meters will sweep safely by Earth. Already labelled potentially hazardous and entered on the close approaches database of the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), asteroid 2011 ES4has been known aboutand its trajectory mappedsince 2011.

If you want another glorious sight of the Corn Moon, get yourself up early to watch it sink due west. Although most of us focus on the more convenient full moonrisewhich always takes place in the east around duskthe moonset, close to sunrise, is just as impressive.

As a bonus, tonights sunset and moonrise times are close enough for a third impressive view of the Corn Moon in a twilight sky.

On September 5, 2020 the Moon will appear to be close to Mars.

Just past full and now 86%-lit, the waning gibbous Moon will make an apparent close approach to the red planet. Look east after dark to see the two in conjunction.

Note: Star charts here are for 40 North latitude. If you need exact information for where you are please consult an online planetarium like The Sky Live.

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.

Read more:

A Full Corn Moon Rising And A Mars-Moon Match-Up: What To Watch For In The Night Sky This Week - Forbes

ADAMS TWP Mars Area Middle Schools 1:1 Technology Program will provide each seventh- and eighth-grader with a district-issued electronic device, to be used in school and at home for educational purposes.

To receive a device, students must complete and submit the required forms which are available on the district website.

Completed forms and fee payments may be dropped off at Mars Area Middle Schools main office between 8 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. until Friday The school asks all forms and fee payments be submitted no later than Sept. 9.

Device distribution will be during the school day Sept. 10 through 15.

Students who do not present all signed forms and the required payment will not receive a device.

All middle school students are required to have either a district-issued device or an approved personal device. Personal devices must be registered online at http://wiki.marsk12.org/byot prior to the first day of school.

Specific questions regarding distribution may be directed to Todd Kolson, principal, at 724-625-3145.

Read more:

Serving the Cranberry Twp, Mars, Evans City, Zelienople areas - The Cranberry Eagle

The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera that captured most of these detailed ... [+] images is one of three cameras aboard MRO.

NASAs Perseverance Rover is on its way to Mars, but 15 years ago, another spacecraft made the same months-long cruise from Earth to Mars, carrying three cameras and a suite of scientific instruments. Data and images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter helped NASA choose the landing sites for rovers and landers like Curiosity, InSight, and Perseverance. Thanks to the MRO, NASA knew where the rovers could land safely, where to do the most interesting science, and where to go next.

Since its arrival in Martian orbit in early 2006, the MRO has given us an unprecedented look at the Martian landscape, gathered a wealth of data on our rocky neighbors geology, and monitored its thin but dynamic atmosphere. Its also helped keep an eye on the landers and rovers on the planets surface, provided photos to help with crash investigations when the ESAs Schiaparelli lander was lost on Mars in 2016, and sent home some truly gorgeous photos that make the dusty red planet feel like a real place.

If theres a particular place or feature on Mars youd like a better look at, you can suggest it to NASA at HiWish. NASA takes these suggestions into consideration when its deciding what to photograph next with MROs High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, or HiRISE.

Exposed Bedrock In An Impact Crater

Craters can offer windows into the structure of the rocks beneath the surface, and their structure ... [+] can also offer clues about the impact that created them.

When an asteroid or comet slammed into Mars in the distant past, the impact blasted this 44 kilometer-wide crater in the planets rocky surface. The large impact also caused the ground at the center of the crater to rebound upward (picture what happens when you throw a pebble into the water; the water at the center of the splash bounces back upward after the pebble hits). The result is called a complex crater, and that rebound lifted the greenish bedrock in this photo from where it was buried several kilometers beneath the surface. Over time, the terraces at the sides of the crater have collapsed to reveal more of the bedrock.

Walls of Ice And Rock

These sheer cliffs of ice face the Martian poles.

These steep icy cliffs can be found near both Martian poles. Their sheer faces are walls of water ice nearly 100 meters high.

A Surprise Dust Devil

A westerly wind pushed the dust devil into a graceful curve partway up the swirling column of air.

One day in 2012, HiRISE was just casually taking some photos of the Amazonis Planitia, a swath of flat land in Marss northern hemisphere, when it caught this dust devil twisting across the deserted landscape. Based on the length of the shadow it casts, the dust devil is probably about 800 meters tall and 30 meters wide. Its hard to compare a Martian dust devil to its Earthly counterparts, because the Martian atmosphere is so much thinner that even a relatively high wind doesnt actually exert much force.

The Devils Tracks

At one time, planetary scientists expected Mars to be a static, unchanging world, but images like ... [+] this one prove that's not the case.

Another dust devil in Mars southern hemisphere left these tracks in early 2019, reminding us that Mars is a planet with active weather and a constantly evolving surface.

The Storm That Killed The Opportunity Rover

Besides blotting out the sunlight, Martian dust storms generate a lot of electrical activity thanks ... [+] to the slight electrostatic charge of the dust particles they carry.

Although the Martian winds dont pack a huge punch, potential travelers should still take weather reports on Mars seriously, because the planets dust storms kick up a lot of electrical activity and then theres the dust itself. Check out these images of Mars taken before and after a dust storm shrouded the planet in dust and dimmed the Martian skies back in the summer of 2018.

Farewell, Little Space Robot

This is the Opportunity Rover's final resting place after 14 years exploring Mars.

MRO captured this image of the Opportunity Rover in September 2018. NASA wasnt able to regain contact with the rover after the storm passed; unfortunately, the rover ran out of power thanks to all the dust covering its solar panels and blotting out the sky.

Sand And Ice At The North Pole

This is the Martian landscape at its coolest.

The polar landscapes of Mars are a sight to behold. Sand dunes march across the frozen ground during the summer months, and in the winter theyre held in place by a thin layer of frost. The streaked texture on the icy ground between the dunes is a fascinating geological trick called frost heave. If you look closely, you can see piles of boulders scattered here and there along the dark streaks on the ground. NASA explains, In the Arctic back on Earth, rocks can be organized by a process called frost heave. With frost heave, repeated freezing and thawing of the ground can bring rocks to the surface and organize them in piles, stripes, or even circles.

The Highest Point On Mars

Olympus Mons is the second-highest peak in the solar system, next to Rheasilvia on Venus. The ... [+] volcano may still be active, but the last evidence of an eruption is about 2 million years old.

In this image, youre looking straight down at the 21 kilometer-high peak of the volcano Olympus Mons. Geological evidence suggests the volcano first formed more than 3 billion years ago during the Hesperian Period, when the surface of Mars was a tumult of volcanic eruptions and massive floods. Over time, lava flows built Olympus Mons into a mountain more than twice the height of Mount Everest; the youngest lava flows on its slopes probably date to just 2 million years ago. The dark sediment piled around the foot of the mountain came from landslides rolling down off the mountains sides.

An Ancient Flood

Megafloods like the one that dropped these massive rocks in Holden Crater were common during the ... [+] Hesperian Period, when geological forces reworked the Martian surface in catastrophic ways.

In the distant past, Mars had oceans, lakes, rivers, and occasional catastrophic megafloods. When the waters of the Uzboi Valles breached the rim of Holden Crater, the flood dropped 100 meter-wide blocks of stone into the crater. The bright layers you can see on the exposed sides of the rock probably record a much warmer, wetter period of Martian history which is why NASA once had Holden Crater on its list of possible lander targets.

Curiosity Climbs A Mountain

Curiosity has been on Mars since 2012, and it's still going strong.

The MRO captured this shot of its sibling Curiosity trekking its way across a clay-bearing area on the slopes of Mount Sharp back in May 2019, which seems like a century ago now.

Read this article:

Stuck At Home? Explore Mars With The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter - Forbes

If you have a good, low view to the east, catch what looks like a distant campfire soon after the sky grows dark and the stars come out to shine.

This is Mars.

The beloved Red Planet, long cloaked in awe and mystery, only in the past few decades has started to reveal some secrets, even as more questions arise. Its lure somehow draws us as in millennia past, now in this space-age close to our literal grasp.

Pondered as a possible abode of life, the notion has never been ruled out. Whether that is the case or not (little green martian microbes with antennae living underground with tiny ray guns?), the fourth planet from the sun and the one most similar to our own, is nearing one of its fairly rare close approaches this October.

Mars orbits the sun in 687 Earth days, which is nearly two Earth years, and each time reaches a closest point. This point is referred to as perihelion (the farthest point is aphelion). The distance varies considerably due to Mars highly elliptical orbit. On occasion, it gets close enough to stand out like a fiery beacon, catching even the attention of people who dont ordinarily look up to admire a clear, night sky.

Currently, Mars rises in the east less than a half-hour after twilight fades into night. It is glowing at magnitude -1.6, matching the brightest star of the night sky, blue-white Sirius, which is well seen on winter evenings.

The Red Planet makes its closest approach on Oct. 6, appropriately when autumn in the Northern Hemisphere is known for foliage bursting in red, orange and yellow.

Presently, the planet is about 48.3 million miles from Earth. On Oct. 6 it will be 38.6 million miles.

It hasnt been so close since Aug. 27, 2003 (34.65 million miles). It will be another 15 years (2035) until Mars is any closer than this years passage.

Most of the time, Mars glows at around +2 magnitude or so, and catches little attention other than by amateur astronomers. At these times, Mars is much farther and shows little more than a tiny red disc in a small telescope.

During these rare close passages, even a telescope with a 3-inch mirror or lens can start to show dusky markings and the bright polar cap. It can be very challenging even at these opportunities to see much. The atmosphere needs to be steady as possible, and Mars should be viewed when it is well above the horizon. Examining Mars takes a well-aligned telescope and patience, and as experience builds, you may be able to identify major, dark features shown on maps of Mars.

Even without a telescope, however, enjoy seeing this fiery beacon glowing in the sky. Ponder its mysteries!

Be sure to enjoy Jupiter and Saturn, in the southern sky the next clear evening. Jupiter is most brilliant, on the right side (west) as seen from the Northern Hemisphere.

Saturday night, Aug. 29, the gibbous moon will be to the lower left (east) of Saturn.

About an hour before sunrise, look due east again. Mars will have moved far to the southwest, but in its place is planet Venus, shining very bright.

While you are out that early this time of year, you will see the wonderful constellation Orion with its three-star belt, in the south-southeast. Sirius is to the lower left. You are seeing a preview of December evening skies!

The moon is full on Oct. 1 and is known as the Harvest Moon.Keep looking up at the sky!

Peter Becker is managing editor at The News Eagle in Hawley, Pennsylvania. Notes are welcome at news@neagle.com. Please mention in what newspaper or website you read this column.

Here is the original post:

Looking Up column: Fiery Mars arrives on the scene - Online Athens

People visit the M&M store in Times Square on July in New York City.

Spencer Platt | Getty Images

A former Mars executive is claiming that a member of the family and the company's board "stamped" on his foot and told him that he would regret his choice to leave for a position with JAB Holdings.

The allegation is part of JAB Holdings' rebuttal against a trade secrets lawsuit filed by Mars in May infederal court in Washington, D.C. The M&M maker claims thatJacek Szarzynski, who formerly served as CFO of Mars' pet-care business and is named as a defendant in the suit, stole upward of 6,000 documents from Mars and passed them over to JAB. The latest salvo, which was first reported by the Financial Times, is a rare look behind the curtain into the two privately held companies.

Szarzynski called the lawsuit "vindictive and unnecessary," saying that while he still had some Mars documents in his possession, he never used or intended to use them for his own benefit or to harm his former employer. He is now a partner at JAB, which is the investment arm of the Reimann family, and serves as chief operating officer and chief financial officer at Pret Panera, one of its business units.

"Mars is a private, family-owned business, and the Mars family reacts with brutality to any perceived slight," he wrote in a court filing Aug. 20. "They were upset that, after 24 years working for Mars, I had the temerity to leave."

Szarzynski claimed that Frank Mars, who shares a name with company's founder and sits on its board, "intentionally" stepped on his foot after one of his final presentations in front of the Mars board in December 2018.

"As Mr. Mars stared at me aggressively, his foot on top of mine, he warned me, 'Tell your new boss we will never forgive him taking people like you from us and will fight him aggressively,'" he alleged.

Mars said in a statement to CNBC that the arguments are "an attempt to divert attention from wrongdoing and paint a misleading picture." The company said it is confident that its lawsuit will be successful.

"Mr. Szarzynski and JAB do not dispute these facts," the company said. "We tried to resolve this issue amicably, but unfortunately we were unable to do so. JAB was unwilling to agree to a comprehensive settlement."

In its original complaint, Mars also accused the former executive of expense fraud.Szarzynski estimated that the expenses could not be worth more than a few hundred dollars and said that he has offered Mars repayment for any errors. He alleged that the company has rebuffed the suggestion.

Szarzynski also claimed that Mars wrongfully withheld incentive compensation awards owed to him with an estimated value of more than $1 million. Moreover, he argued that the dispute should be solved through arbitration with Mars or in Belgian courts, where he resides and formerly worked for Mars.

Continued here:

Mars board member accused of stamping on the foot of ex-employee at the center of JAB Holdings lawsuit - CNBC

Destiny 2

Destiny 2 is back with the final week of Solstice of Heroes, and theres really nothing new to report there, other than for you to finish up your armor or grind out the packages you want from the EAZ, though I cant run that course anymore lest my eyes fall out of my head.

Rather, I have morphed from Tree Watch, because the damn tree never changes, to Crate Watch, as I learned this week that we have been packing up all the different destinations and stockpiling their supplies in the Tower Hangar, and also by the NPCs themselves.

This week I predicted we would see crates from Mars, and we have. There are Clovis Bray brand crates in the Tower where previously there were only a few barrels. There were not crates by Ana on Mars, so I wonder if this has been an eight week process. Crates in the Tower on one destination, then crates by the NPC the next week, then they move on. That means next week this is finished which leads me to a few things.

We are approaching when this season was supposed to end. Next reset was going to be the last real week of Arrivals before Beyond Light, and now we have to figure out whats changed.

Destiny 2

It seems like its going to be time for the Evacuation to finish, or at least continue, so we can get Travelers Judgement. Supposedly that quest was already delayed a month from August to September, but if Evacuation is supposed to go directly into Beyond Light, then maybe it has to be delayed even further. But all signs point to the idea that it could end next week, so thats one reset to definitely pay attention to it.

The same goes for the Interference quest, which is scheduled to end (ie. the last lore entry is unlocked) the same week. While we dont think this is taking us to some hidden weapon, we may see a different mission that week, or I suppose, the next, when lore runs out. Possibly a fight against Nokris, our taunter in this mission.

The lore word this week is Falling and Eris has some unsettling news from the Darkness:

Another threat of imminent disaster. You declared a new Golden Age, and our enemy declares a second Collapse. They imply it is already in motion. Alarming.

Free fall is indistinguishable from a stable orbit until you strike the ground. Are we already falling? Is our doom fixed? Have I missed the signs this time?

Destiny 2

This would be one thing if it was like, the Vex or something predicting a Second Collapse. But the Darkness predicting one? Telling its already in motion? I dont understand. If theyre not the threat, ie. the ones causing it, then who is? Savathun?

There is no mention of the potential corruption of Zavala in this lore entry, something hinted at in the past. Hes brought up, but not in that context. I did get a Drifter/Zavala conversation during the public event today where Drifter seems to imply Zavala has a crush on Eris. But I am not sure if thats new or not, or if Ive never heard it before.

Again, not much to do this week, which is why Im back to Avengers. While Festival of the Lost is coming in October we have no idea what will happen in Destiny 2 in September, if anything, but I would keep an eye on reset next week for sure.

Follow meon Twitter,YouTubeandInstagram. Pick up my sci-fi novelsHerokillerandHerokiller 2, and read my first series,The Earthborn Trilogy, which is also onaudiobook.

Continued here:

Destiny 2 Reset Update: Mars Evacuates, A Second Collapse And The Final Week - Forbes