Aurora on Mars

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On 11 August 2004, [1] the European Space Agency's Mars Express found an ultraviolet glow coming from "magnetic umbrellas" in the Southern Hemisphere. [2] Mars does not have a global magnetic field which guides charged particles entering the atmosphere. Mars has multiple umbrella-shaped magnetic fields mainly in the Southern Hemisphere, which are remnants of a global field that decayed billions of years ago. [3]

In late December 2014, NASA's MAVEN spacecraft detected evidence of widespread auroras in Mars' northern hemisphere, from about 20°–30°N latitude. The particles causing the aurora penetrated into the Martian atmosphere, creating auroras below 100 km above the surface, Earth's auroras range from 100 km to 500 km above the surface. Magnetic fields in the solar wind drape over Mars, into the atmosphere, and the charged particles follow the solar wind magnetic field lines into the atmosphere, causing auroras to occur outside the magnetic umbrellas. [4]

On 18 March 2015, NASA reported the detection of an aurora that is not fully understood and an unexplained dust cloud in the Martian atmosphere. [5]

In September 2017, NASA reported that radiation levels on the Martian surface were temporarily doubled, and were associated with an aurora 25 times brighter than any observed earlier, due to a massive, unexpected solar storm in the middle of the month. [6]


In March 2022, a possible explanation of the auroras observed on Mars was reported. [7]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariner program</span> NASA space program from 1962 to 1973

The Mariner program was conducted by the American space agency NASA to explore other planets. Between 1962 and late 1973, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) designed and built 10 robotic interplanetary probes named Mariner to explore the inner Solar System – visiting the planets Venus, Mars and Mercury for the first time, and returning to Venus and Mars for additional close observations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariner 4</span> First successful NASA mission to Mars (1964–1967)

Mariner 4 was the fourth in a series of spacecraft intended for planetary exploration in a flyby mode. It was designed to conduct closeup scientific observations of Mars and to transmit these observations to Earth. Launched on November 28, 1964, Mariner 4 performed the first successful flyby of the planet Mars, returning the first close-up pictures of the Martian surface. It captured the first images of another planet ever returned from deep space; their depiction of a cratered, dead planet largely changed the scientific community's view of life on Mars. Other mission objectives were to perform field and particle measurements in interplanetary space in the vicinity of Mars and to provide experience in and knowledge of the engineering capabilities for interplanetary flights of long duration. Initially expected to remain in space for eight months, Mariner 4's mission lasted about three years in solar orbit. On December 21, 1967, communications with Mariner 4 were terminated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar wind</span> Stream of charged particles from the Sun

The solar wind is a stream of charged particles released from the Sun's outermost atmospheric layer, the corona. This plasma mostly consists of electrons, protons and alpha particles with kinetic energy between 0.5 and 10 keV. The composition of the solar wind plasma also includes a mixture of particle species found in the solar plasma: trace amounts of heavy ions and atomic nuclei of elements such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, neon, magnesium, silicon, sulfur, and iron. There are also rarer traces of some other nuclei and isotopes such as phosphorus, titanium, chromium, and nickel's isotopes 58Ni, 60Ni, and 62Ni. Superimposed with the solar-wind plasma is the interplanetary magnetic field. The solar wind varies in density, temperature and speed over time and over solar latitude and longitude. Its particles can escape the Sun's gravity because of their high energy resulting from the high temperature of the corona, which in turn is a result of the coronal magnetic field. The boundary separating the corona from the solar wind is called the Alfvén surface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics</span> Research organization at the University of Colorado Boulder

The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) is a research organization at the University of Colorado Boulder. LASP is a research institute with over one hundred research scientists ranging in fields from solar influences, to Earth's and other planetary atmospherics processes, space weather, space plasma and dusty plasma physics. LASP has advanced technical capabilities specializing in designing, building, and operating spacecraft and spacecraft instruments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aurora</span> Atmospheric effect caused by the solar wind

An aurora , also commonly known as the northern lights or southern lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions. Auroras display dynamic patterns of brilliant lights that appear as curtains, rays, spirals, or dynamic flickers covering the entire sky.

<i>Mars Global Surveyor</i> NASA orbiter mission to Mars (1996–2006)

Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) was an American robotic space probe developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and launched November 1996. MGS was a global mapping mission that examined the entire planet, from the ionosphere down through the atmosphere to the surface. As part of the larger Mars Exploration Program, Mars Global Surveyor performed atmospheric monitoring for sister orbiters during aerobraking, and helped Mars rovers and lander missions by identifying potential landing sites and relaying surface telemetry.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mars 96</span> Failed Mars mission

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atmosphere of Mars</span> Layer of gases surrounding the planet Mars

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terraforming of Mars</span> Hypothetical modification of Mars into a habitable planet

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Heliophysics is the physics of the Sun and its connection with the Solar System. NASA defines heliophysics as "(1) the comprehensive new term for the science of the Sun - Solar System Connection, (2) the exploration, discovery, and understanding of Earth's space environment, and (3) the system science that unites all of the linked phenomena in the region of the cosmos influenced by a star like our Sun."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atmosphere of the Moon</span> Very scant presence of gases around the Moon

The atmosphere of the Moon is a very sparse layer of gases surrounding the Moon. For most practical purposes, the Moon is considered to be surrounded by vacuum. The elevated presence of atomic and molecular particles in its vicinity compared to interplanetary medium, referred to as "lunar atmosphere" for scientific objectives, is negligible in comparison with the gaseous envelopes surrounding Earth and most planets of the Solar System. The pressure of this small mass is around 3×10−15 atm (0.3 nPa), varying throughout the day, and in total mass less than 10 metric tonnes. Otherwise, the Moon is considered not to have an atmosphere because it cannot absorb measurable quantities of radiation, does not appear layered or self-circulating, and requires constant replenishment due to the high rate at which its gases are lost into space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate of Mars</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mars</span> Fourth planet from the Sun

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">MAVEN</span> NASA Mars orbiter (2013–Present)

MAVEN is a NASA spacecraft orbiting Mars to study the loss of that planet's atmospheric gases to space, providing insight into the history of the planet's climate and water. The name is an acronym for "Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution" while the word maven also denotes "a person who has special knowledge or experience; an expert". MAVEN was launched on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on 18 November 2013 UTC and went into orbit around Mars on 22 September 2014 UTC. The mission is the first by NASA to study the Mars atmosphere. The probe is analyzing the planet's upper atmosphere and ionosphere to examine how and at what rate the solar wind is stripping away volatile compounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martian regolith</span> Fine regolith found on the surface of Mars

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring)</span> Oort cloud comet

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heliophysics Science Division</span>

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References

  1. "Mars Express discovers aurorae on Mars". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  2. Bryant, Mike (2015-05-14). "Auroras on Mars". MAVEN. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  3. "In an ultraviolet glow, auroras on Mars spotted by UAE orbiter". NBC News. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  4. "Auroras on Mars – NASA Science". science.nasa.gov. Retrieved 12 May 2015.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  5. Brown, Dwayne; Neal-Jones, Nancy; Steigerwald, Bill; Scott, Jim (18 March 2015). "NASA Spacecraft Detects Aurora and Mysterious Dust Cloud around Mars". NASA. Release 15-045. Retrieved 18 March 2015.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  6. Webster, Guy; Neal-Jones, Nancy; Scott, Jim; Schmid, Deb; Cantillo, Laurie; Brown, Dwayne (29 September 2017). "Large Solar Storm Sparks Global Aurora and Doubles Radiation Levels on the Martian Surface". NASA.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  7. Girazian, Z.; et al. (27 March 2022). "Space Physics: Discrete Aurora at Mars: Dependence on Upstream Solar Wind Conditions" (PDF). Journal of Geophysical Research . 127 (4). doi:10.1029/2021JA030238. PMID   35866072. S2CID   246029112.