It's Snowing on Mars!

It is wintertime at the Phoenix Mars lander site. And there is snow to prove it!  The Phoenix has a laser device to study the atmosphere- and it detected snow falling about 4 km (2.5 miles) above the study area. It appears to be evaporating before it hits the ground.  "Nothing like this view has ever been seen on Mars," said Jim Whiteway, of York University, Toronto, lead scientist for the Canadian-supplied Meteorological Station on Phoenix. "We'll be looking for signs that the snow may even reach the ground." 

Five months ago when the lander began its three month mission, the sun never set at that latitude. Now, however, the sun is setting for four hours at a time, and the solar panels are producing less and less energy. The mission is expected to run out of energy before the end of the year.  Before that happens, though, the team hopes to activate a microphone, allowing us to hear what Mars sounds like. Watch- and listen to- this space!

Information from JPL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?