An extraordinary meteorological mystery on the Red Planet has finally been unraveled by planetary scientists utilizing new data from the European Space Agency’s Mars Express. The phenomenon, officially known as the Arsia Mons Elongated Cloud (AMEC), is a massive structure of water-ice that stretches over 1,100 miles across the Martian surface. Historically puzzling due to the thinness and lack of dust in the upper Martian atmosphere—which normally acts as a seed for cloud formation—astronomers discovered that the cloud is driven by unique mountain-induced atmospheric waves. As intense winds push past the giant Arsia Mons volcano, the air expands and drops in temperature, forcing invisible water vapor to instantly crystallize into this spectacular morning cloud formation.
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