🌪 The amazing Mars sandstorm 🌪

This little animation shows that neither NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter can see what's under the dust storms on Mars. Its camera called Mars Color Imager (MARCI) has been recording the whole planet before the storm (left) and now, in July (right). Dust picked up in mid-June and, as it seems, the storm is not nearly finished yet.

The black blobs on the right image peaking through on the north half of Mars are the mountain-top of Olympus Mons and three volcanoes stretching from the volcanic plateau Tharsis!