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Temperatures of the Martian atmosphere as deduced by Mars Pathfinder. Click on image for full size version (40K JPG) Image from: NASA/JPL

This is a graph which shows the temperatures measured in the atmosphere by Mars Pathfinder as it decended through the nighttime air and landed on the surface. The temperature of the atmosphere is listed on the bottom of the graph, and the altitudes where the temperatures are found within the atmosphere are listed along the leftmost edge. The graph shows that near the surface where Pathfinder landed (at night) the temperature was 170 ^oK (-150 F), in the middle of the atmosphere the temperature was 70 ^oK (-333 F), and at the uppermost reaches of the atmosphere the temperatures ranged from 150 to 300 ^oK (-190 to 80 F). This region of the atmosphere is called the ionosphere, or sometimes the exosphere. These regions a very similar to layers in the Earth's atmosphere, and other planetary atmospheres such as that of Jupiter. It is the region of the atmosphere closest to space, and is the one which is first exposed to the sun's rays.

Compare the temperatures in these different regions of the atmosphere to those of Jupiter and Uranus.

Temperatures of the Martian atmosphere as deduced by Mars Pathfinder. Click on image for full size version (40K JPG) Image from: NASA/JPL

The temperatures in the atmosphere of Mars are doggone cold! This is a graph which shows the temperatures measured in the atmosphere by Mars Pathfinder as it decended through the nighttime air and landed on the surface. The temperature of the atmosphere is listed on the bottom of the graph, and the altitudes where the temperatures are found within the atmosphere are listed along the leftmost edge. The graph shows that near the surface where Pathfinder landed (at night) the temperature was 170 ^oK (-150 F), in the middle of the atmosphere the temperature got a lot colder, at 70 ^oK (-333 F), and at the uppermost reaches of the atmosphere the temperatures ranged from 150 to 300 ^oK (-190 to 80 F). This region of the atmosphere is called the ionosphere, or sometimes the exosphere. It is the region of the atmosphere closest to space, and is the one which is first exposed to the sun's rays.

Compare the temperatures in these different regions of the atmosphere to those of Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus.

Temperatures of the Martian atmosphere as deduced by Mars Pathfinder. Click on image for full size version (40K JPG) Image from: NASA/JPL

The temperatures in the atmosphere of Mars are doggone cold! This is a graph which shows just what the temperatures are. The measurements were taken by Mars Pathfinder as it decended through the nighttime air and landed on the surface. The graph shows that where Pathfinder landed (at night), near the surface, the temperature was 170 ^oK (-150 F - brrrr). In the middle of the atmosphere the temperature got a lot colder, if that is possible, at 70 ^oK (-333 F)! Then, at the uppermost reaches of the atmosphere the temperatures got a lot warmer, becoming 150 to 300 ^oK (-190 to 80 F). These temperatures sound almost comfortable. This region of the atmosphere is called the ionosphere, or sometimes the exosphere. It is the region of the atmosphere closest to space, and is the one which is first exposed to the sun's rays.