Scientists believe they have recorded electrical activity in the Martian atmosphere for the first time, showing that the planet is capable of producing lightning.
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 area.
The electrical discharge, nicknamed “mini lightning”, was picked up from audio and electromagnetic recordings made by the rover’s SuperCam instrument.
Scientists hope that new instruments and more sensitive cameras can be sent to Mars to measure atmospheric discharge to confirm the findings.
A team of researchers from France analyzed 28 hours of microphone recordings made by a NASA rover over two Martian years (or 1,374 Earth days).
They found that lightning discharges were commonly associated with dust devils and dust storm fronts.
Dust devils are tiny tornadoes that form from hot air rising from the ground, and their internal movements can give rise to electrical discharges.
“These discharges represent a major discovery that has direct implications for Mars’ atmospheric chemistry, climate, habitability, and the future of robotic and human exploration,” Dr. Baptist Chide, lead author of the research, told Reuters news agency.
He and other scientists at the Institute for Research in Astrophysics and Planetology in France believe Mars has now joined Earth, Saturn and Jupiter, which are known to have atmospheric electrical activity.
Particle physicist Dr. Daniel Pritchard wrote in the scientific journal Nature that, although the recording would “provide persuasive evidence of a dust-induced discharge”, because the discharge was only heard and not seen, “some doubt will inevitably remain as to whether it was actually Martian lightning”.
He added, “Given the history of the region, the debate is likely to continue for some time.”
In September this year, scientists found rocks with unusual marks on Mars.
The interesting markings, nicknamed leopard spots and poppies, contain minerals produced by chemical reactions that may be associated with ancient microbes.
It’s possible that the minerals were produced by natural geological processes, but NASA said these features may be the clearest signs of life ever found.
Today Mars is a cold and dry desert. But there is evidence that billions of years ago there was a dense atmosphere and water, making it a promising place to look for past life.
Perseverance was sent to Jezero Crater because it showed properties that could indicate it was once favorable for life, including indications that it was a delta when Mars could have sustained liquid surface water.
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