Scientists believe they have for the first time recorded electrical activity in the Martian atmosphere, suggesting the planet is capable of lightning, UNN reports with reference to the BBC.
Details
NASA's Perseverance rover, which landed on Mars in 2021, was sent to search for signs of biology and has spent the last four years exploring the Jezero Crater region.
Electrical discharges, referred to as "mini-lightning," were detected using audio and electromagnetic recordings made by the rover's SuperCam instrument.
Scientists hope that new instruments for measuring atmospheric discharges and more sensitive cameras can be sent to Mars to try and confirm these findings.
A team of researchers from France analyzed 28 hours of microphone recordings made by the NASA rover over two Martian years (or 1374 Earth days).
They found that electrical discharges are typically associated with dust devils and dust storm fronts.
Dust devils are small vortices formed from hot air rising from the ground, and their internal movements can cause electrical discharges.
Lead author of the study, Dr. Baptiste Chide, told Reuters news agency: "These discharges are an important discovery that has direct implications for Martian atmospheric chemistry, climate, habitability, and future robotic and human exploration."
He and other scientists from the Institute for Research in Astrophysics and Planetology in France believe that Mars now joins Earth, Saturn, and Jupiter as planets known for their atmospheric electrical activity.
Particle physicist Dr. Daniel Pritchard wrote in the scientific journal Nature that while the recordings "will provide compelling evidence for dust-induced discharges," because the discharges were only audible and not visible, "some doubt as to whether this was truly Martian lightning will inevitably remain."
He added: "Given the history of this field, the debate is likely to continue for some time."
Additionally
In September of this year, scientists found rocks on Mars with unusual markings.
These intriguing markings, dubbed leopard spots and poppy seeds, contain minerals formed by chemical reactions that could be linked to ancient microbes.
The minerals may have formed through natural geological processes, but NASA said these signs could be the clearest evidence of life ever found.
The publication notes that today Mars is a cold and arid desert. But billions of years ago, there is evidence that it had a dense atmosphere and water, making it a promising place to search for past life.
Perseverance was directed to Jezero Crater because it exhibited qualities that could mean it was once habitable, including signs that it was once a delta when Mars could support liquid surface water.