The Cloud That Seeds Itself

Every morning, for months at a time, a cloud up to 1,800 km long streams west from the volcano Arsia Mons on Mars, and by late morning it is gone. A 2026 study suggests it forms in a way never seen before in a planet’s sky: water vapour freezing into ice with no seed at all. This three-minute film explains it from scratch, starting with your own breath on a frosty morning.

By Dr. Christian Sasse · 3 min 11 s · Watch on YouTube

Based on Hernández-Bernal et al., Nature Geoscience, 7 October 2026, and ESA’s Mars Express observations. The seedless ice is strongly suggested by a weather model, not yet measured. Mars map: NASA Viking colour mosaic (Arizona State University). Music: ElevenLabs.