Atmosphere of Mars slowly decreased to very low concentrations, with no layer detectable above 35 km. The reporting scientists think that the observed polar ozone layers are the result of the same atmospheric circulation pattern that creates a distinct oxygen emission identified in the polar night and also present in Earth's atmosphere. This circulation takes the form of a huge Hadley cell in which warmer air rises and travels toward the south pole before cooling and sinking at higher latitudes. Mars is on a quite elliptical orbit and has a large axial tilt, which causes extreme seasonal variations in temperature amongst the northern
Extraterrestrial atmosphere oxygen could be detected by studying thermal phase curves or by transit transmission spectroscopy measurement of the spectral Rayleigh scattering slope in a clear-sky (i.e. aerosol-free) atmosphere. Detection of methane in astronomical bodies is of interest to science and technology, as it may be evidence of extraterrestrial life (biosignature), it may help provide organic ingredients for life to form, and also, methane could be used as a fuel or rocket propellant for future robotic and crewed missions in the Solar System. Extraterrestrial atmosphere The study of extraterrestrial atmospheres is an active field of research, both as an aspect of astronomy