Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to More on the clouds above Meridiani.

Do you understand what you write and copy?

Perhaps Spirit and Opportunity won't see the thin, cirrus clouds seen
over Meridiani


follows

To date, Spirit has not seen any discrete, cirrus-like clouds such as Opportunity has photographed


To any normal reader of the English language, this means that Oppy HAS ALREADY seen the thin, cirrus clouds.

but perhaps they will see thicker clouds that could hold precipitation.


Well, I guess they could, if such clouds were non-fictional.

The only precipitation on Mars is the winter snowout of CO2 pellets over the frozen icecap in 24-hour darkness. MOLA has tracked falling sheets of CO2 grains.

In the rest of Mars, for the rest of the seasons, there is no, repeat NO, record of any precipitation.

Polarization of light is known to be produced by round liquid water drops as opposed to randomly oriented multi-faceted ice crystals. The process is described here:


Well, actually, polarization of light is well-known on Earth from NON-randomly oriented ice crystals which orient parallel to each other as they gently drift downwards in the atmosphere. Look up "Sun Dogs" for a bit of an education.

Images from Mars Express have also shown autumn clouds or fogs in
Solis that may contact the ground and form liquid water:


Again, that "may" is about as likely as you meeting Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy at the leaving party for the Easter Bunny. Clouds form where it is cold, they shade the ground and stop it warming up. Fog is a valid source of liquid water on Earth when it (a) is already liquid and (b) contacts ground which is above freezing point.

If (a) is true but not (b) you get black ice. If (b) is true but not (a) you get arctic smoke and the fog dissipates. If neither (a) nor (b) is true you can get extremely fine powder snow deposits.

On Mars, neither (a) nor (b) is likely, and the combination of both is wildly improbable.

Get Real, Robert.

You might worth debating with if you were either cabable of rational thought or vaguely well informed. The idiot-savant trick is just that - idiotic!

If you wish to discuss further, I humbly suggest that FLAME is the way to go. Please post on the appropriate board.

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