Exploratour - The Atmosphere of Mars
Temperatures
This image shows how cold the surface of Mars can be. The temperatures where measured by the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft. The scale to the left shows that purple regions are the coldest, about -170 degrees F (140K), while the yellow areas are the warmest at about 17 degrees F (270K). The surface of Mars may often become warmer than 17 degrees. Other data returned by Mars Global Surveyor shows the temperatures can be 30 degrees F or more. These temperatures are very cold, however. The surface is either near freezing or well below freezing. Freezing temperatures may have something to do with the thin atmosphere by preventing evaporation.
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