INAF states:
“It almost looks like a postcard, with the plume of smoke rising from the volcano Arsia Mons. In fact, it is the extra large version of an orographic cloud, similar to those that can be produced on the leeward side of Earth’s mountains.”
Evidently these folks don’t even know that orographic clouds are formed “upwind” and not “downwind”! (see https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sollevamento_orografico)
But the most outrageous statement comes next:
“However, a seasonally recurring water ice cloud, like the one shown in this image, is known to form along the southwest flank of this volcano, previously observed by Mars Express and other missions in 2009, 2012, and 2015.”
Seasonally?
The Martian year lasts about two Earth years and if this phenomenon occurred in 2009, 2012, 2015 and obviously in 2018, it means that it recurs on a regular basis of three years and not two or some multiple of two; but then there is no correlation with the Martian seasons!
So where would this “seasonality” be???
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