Mars weather: Clear with a low of 114 below zero

NASA's Curiosity Rover is about to endure another winter season on Mars, when the temperature regularly plummets to levels rarely seen on Earth.

NASA's Curiosity Rover has been roaming the Red Planet since 2012, taking thousands of pictures, drilling small holes in the planet's surface and searching for evidence of past habitable environments on Mars. It has also been busy observing the weather.

Curiosity is outfitted with a miniature weather station that measures temperature, humidity, winds, pressure and ultraviolet radiation. These observations are sent back to Earth on a regular basis, and they help scientists understand the alien weather on the desolate world.

On May 12, the high temperature was 11 degrees below zero, and the low temperature was a staggering 114 degrees below zero.

It is currently late autumn in Gale Crater, the region of Mars where Curiosity is exploring, meaning even colder weather is ahead for the rover in the coming months.

Temperatures on Mars can climb as high as 70 degrees during the summer months and as low as 225 degrees below zero during the coldest winter nights. And there can even be dramatic changes in temperature across just a few feet.

"Because the atmosphere is so thin, heat from the Sun easily escapes this planet," NASA explained. "If you were to stand on the surface of Mars on the equator at noon, it would feel like spring at your feet and winter at your head."

NASA has also documented Earth-like weather phenomena, including dust devils and shimmering clouds.

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