Description
This graph shows that the atmospheric temperatures above the surface of Mars at Gusev Crater, Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's landing site, fluctuate to a significant degree. The color red denotes warmer temperatures, while blue is cooler. The red and yellow waves of color represent thermals, or pockets of heat, which rise and fall across the surface. These data, acquired by the rover's miniature thermal emission spectrometer, help scientists understand how the bottom layer of air closest to the surface behaves and interacts with global winds.
