A mysterious haze that enveloped the atmosphere of Mars apparently violated known physical laws that say it shouldn't exist at all. It baffled astronomers trying to determine the cause and the composition of the formation.

Astronomers first observed the haze in March and April 2012. The haze apparently appeared twice in the same region and was first seen by amateur astronomers.

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This dark haze reached as high as 150 miles (250 km), well up into the Martian atmospherea and almost at the edge of space. This extreme altitude is the most puzzling aspect of this feature to scientists since the Martian atmosphere is so thin and fragile it can't support the formation of an object extending that high into the atmosphere.

Some features similar to this haze were also observed in the atmosphere, but only some 60 miles above the surface.

The haze covered a massive area of 625 miles by 300 miles. It transformed and evolved over a span of 10 days before it finally disappeared.

There are many images from the Hubble Space Telescope and other photos from observatories and amateur astronomers that witnessed several clouds rising to heights of 60 miles or more.

According to Agustin Sanchez-Lavega of the Universidad del País Vasco, Spain, these features can be caused by a reflective cloud made from water, carbon dioxide ice and dust particles. The haze was unique since it deviated from standard atmospheric circulation models and formed at unusually high altitudes.

Aurora borealis lights might also have caused the haze on Mars since these were observed in the same regions as the haze. Unusual magnetic activity apparently prevails over certain areas of the Red Planet.

Scientists believe that if these auroras are causing storms, these are estimated to be 1,000 times more powerful than those seen here on Earth. It's also not possible that dust from the surface picked up by powerful winds is the cause of this dark haze since the dust rose some 37 miles into the atmosphere.

In 2016, the European Space Agency's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter will be launched to observe and study this phenomenon along with a joint mission of Roscosmos, also in 2016.

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