Michael Shermer once noted in the book Why People Believe Weird Things that science is not always kryptonite to pseudoscience, rather pseudoscience raises and falls in tandem with the real stuff. So it is with Mars fakery. The better images and data we get the more the alien conspiracy buffs and NASA cover-uppers come out of the wood work. The image above is an easily debunked fake making the usual rounds right now, supposedly of a double sunset on Mars. Click it to see the real story over at Bad Astronomy, and stay skeptical my friends.
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scrutationaryarchivist
August 16, 2012 at 7:40 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Look, sir! Suns!
The Lorax
August 16, 2012 at 8:14 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
There are water ice clouds on Mars, and sun dogs are just reflections off of said clouds. They’re a rare event on Earth, could they even happen on Mars?
Not that this is a sun dog… actually, I think the Bad Astronomer is spot on with that scene from Star Wars.
robb
August 16, 2012 at 8:25 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
nope. that’s a reala picture. heck, you can even see Toshi Station on the lower right. i picked up some power converters there last week.
jamessweet
August 16, 2012 at 8:27 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
A sun dog certainly doesn’t look like that anyway, even if Phil hadn’t already showed pretty convincingly that this is most likely a Martian landscape mashed up with a Tatooine sunset. But as to the question, could they happen… IANAAstrometeorologist (is anybody???), but my guess is no. I would think the atmosphere on Mars would be too thin for sufficient condensation to develop, but maybe I’m way off on that.
jamessweet
August 16, 2012 at 8:27 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
You can play with your friends when your chores are done.
thunk, erythematic
August 16, 2012 at 11:07 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Jamessweet:
Halos on Mars.
doktorzoom
August 16, 2012 at 9:51 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I’ve been using the real photo that this was based on as my desktop background for years. There’s just something so wonderfully poetic about that faraway sun.
dailydouq
August 16, 2012 at 10:44 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
It’s just a picture of Mittwit and RyandRand, but hopefully the sunset of their nonsense.