Martian Sunset

What is a sunset like on Mars? The image and question may seem like something out of The Little Prince. Luckily, NASA’s robotic rover Spirit, sent to the “Red Planet” in 2005, snapped this image to give us an idea.

From NASA’s website:

Colors in the above image have been slightly exaggerated but would likely be apparent to a human explorer’s eye. Fine martian dust particles suspended in the thin atmosphere lend the sky a reddish color, but the dust also scatters blue light in the forward direction, creating a bluish sky glow near the setting Sun. Because Mars is farther away, the Sun is less bright and only about two thirds the diameter it appears from Earth. Images like this help atmospheric scientists understand not only the atmosphere of Mars, but atmospheres across the Solar System, including our home Earth.