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Title : 'Rare treat for planetary scientists': Massive dust storm covers entirety of Mars
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'Rare treat for planetary scientists': Massive dust storm covers entirety of Mars

A massive dust storm on Mars has completely engulfed the planet and it could be months before it subsides.

On May 30, scientists first noticed a small-scale dust storm on Mars and by June 20, it had gone global. NASA says small-scale dust storms are common each year when Mars travels closest to the sun, but once every six to eight years those storms grow quickly and manage to take over the whole planet.

“This s a very rare treat for planetary scientists who focus on Mars to understand the weather patterns (and) the climate of Mars,” Andrew Fazekas, astronomy columnist with National Geographic, told CTV News Channel.

“Every day is a learning event for scientists about the dust storms.”

The storm has gotten so intense that the solar-powered Opportunity rover -- which landed on Mars in 2004 -- has gone into hibernation due to a lack of sunlight. NASA estimates it could be until September before the haze clears enough for rover to awaken.

While Opportunity hibernates, several satellites are circling Mars to try and understand what causes a small dust storm to go global. Here is how NASA is examining the storm:

• The Mars Odyssey satellite has upped its atmospheric testing from every 10 days to twice a week
• The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is mapping the planet daily and has been able to document the quick growth of the storm
• The MAVEN satellite is looking at how the storm impacts the planet’s upper atmosphere
• The nuclear-powered Curiosity rover is unaffected by the dearth of sunlight on Mars and is looking at the dust particles on the ground

Fazekas says all the information being gathered about Mars is crucial when it comes to planning an eventual human expedition to the planet.

“The big risks are for our robotic spacecrafts that are on the ground and any future human missions to Mars,” he said. “We want to know exactly how a dust storm like this can affect missions.”

The Martian dust storm blotting out the sun above Opportunity has continued to intensify. It blankets a quarter of the planet. All rover subsystems are off, except a mission clock, programmed to wake the computer to check power levels. Full status report: https://t.co/VwuuPwEpPA pic.twitter.com/rQvHDsxuQj

— Spirit and Oppy (@MarsRovers) June 13, 2018

Mars Storm Watch: The dust storm now circles the planet. No signal yet from Opportunity, but no response is expected until skies begin to clear. We continue to listen daily. https://t.co/VwuuPwEpPA pic.twitter.com/8q7lDoezxs

— Spirit and Oppy (@MarsRovers) June 20, 2018

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