The iridescent cloud reveals new clues about ice formation in the Martian atmosphere (no little green men, sorry).

Latin for “night shining,” noctilucent clouds (also known as twilight clouds) are responsible for Earth’s vibrant red, orange, and purple dawn and dusk skies. If the conditions are just right, they sometimes even take on an iridescent,

"I'll always remember the first time I saw those iridescent clouds and was sure at first it was some color artifact."

The phenomenon of twilight clouds was first observed on Mars in 1997 during NASA’s Pathfinder mission. However, it wasn’t until 2019 that the Curiosity Rover captured the firs