MYSTERIOUS auroras on Mars have perplexed scientists for years, but they’ve finally figured out what causes the phenomena on the Red Planet.
Auroras are seen on Earth and several other celestial bodies when their magnetic fields collide with solar winds.
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Mars lacks a magnetic field, leaving scientists stumped as to how the auroras occur.
It’s believed the planet had a global magnetic field at one point, but it has since largely decayed, reports BGR.
Physicists led by the University of Iowa explored small pockets of solar magnetic fields on Mars.
These pockets help form Mars auroras.
This occurrence happens mostly in the southern hemisphere of Mars.
Zachary Girazian, an author of the study, explained how the team created the first detailed study on how solar wind conditions affect aurora on Mars.
“Our main finding is that inside the strong crustal field region, the aurora occurrence rate depends mostly on the orientation of the solar wind magnetic field,” he said.
“While outside the strong crustal field region, the occurrence rate depends mostly on the solar wind dynamic pressure.”
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The team used data from over 200 observations by the NASA-led Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft.
MAVEN launched in 2013 and has been used several times for Mars research.
NASA’S major Mars mission has reached a critical stage in its search for signs of alien life.
A six-wheeled robot that’s been on the Red Planet for over a year is about to climb an ancient delta where evidence of past life could be hidden.
The Perseverance rover will go on the hunt for rock samples it believes could hold the crucial answer, using a drill.
It’ll then head back down, dropping off the pieces at the base for collection on a later mission.
Space experts hope to bring back the samples to Earth for study sometime in the 2030s.
Much of Nasa’s work has centered on a part of Mars known as the Jezero Crater, where Perseverance arrived in February 2021.
So far, it has mainly been carrying out tests, along with its helicopter pal Ingenuity.
Scientists have to be sure about where they intend to grab samples, as they only have 43 collection tubes available.
They hope to find out whether they contain ancient microbes and organics.
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