Alien aurora borealis. Scientists have revealed the secret of the aurora borealis on Mars
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It is the combined observation of these two teams that has now yielded valuable new insights into the unique environment of Mars. Together, the scientists decided to study the auroras, which dance and shine high in the planets’ atmospheres. An article describing their findings was recently published in a scientific journal Geophysical Research Letters.
Scientists are specifically concerned with the proton. Martian proton auroras, first described by experts in 2018, are the most common auroras on the red planet. This aurora borealis has no analogues on Earth, because compared to our planet, Mars does not have an internally controlled magnetosphere, and thus the aurora borealis is created in a different way.
The patchy proton aurora on Mars occurs when turbulent conditions around the planet allow charged hydrogen particles from the Sun to flow into the Martian atmosphere.
The Martian proton auroras are created when the solar wind, composed of charged particles, interacts with the upper atmosphere. Positively charged protons in the solar wind collide with the hydrogen shell of Mars, becoming ionized and neutralized by electrons from the hydrogen atoms. These charges allow neutral particles to bypass the shock wave of the magnetic field around Mars and subsequently rain down in the upper atmosphere, emitting ultraviolet light.
Aurora is irregular, variable electromagnetic radiation created in the atmosphere by the flow of charged particles from the surrounding space. Energetic particles penetrate into the deeper layers of the atmosphere, where they excite neutral molecules. A typical source of charged particles from the external environment is the solar wind. On Earth, the aurora borealis is mainly formed in the polar regions, where charged parts penetrate into the atmosphere along the closed lines of force of the planet’s own magnetic field. In the case of a planet without its own magnetic field, auroras also occur, but they are no longer tied to the polar regions, because these planets have no magnetic poles.
Until now, this process has been thought to reliably produce auroras that appear smooth and evenly distributed across the hemisphere. However, a new observation by EMM scientists shows otherwise. Indeed, the research team discovered fine structure and weaker and stronger spots in the proton aurora, which covered the entire day side of Mars. This suggests that other, as-yet-unknown processes may be at play in the creation of Martian aurors.
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According to these new findings, proton auroras appear to be highly dynamic and variable. Similarly, the patchy glow is formed when turbulent conditions around Mars allow charged particles to flood directly into the atmosphere and then emit a glow as they slow down, scientists say.
The August 5 images show typical atmospheric conditions in which the instruments did not detect any unusual activity. But on August 11 and August 30, they observed patchy auroras at both wavelengths, indicating turbulent interactions with the solar wind
“EMM observations indicated that the aurora on Mars was so widespread and disordered that the plasma environment around the planets must have been disturbed. “To the extent that the solar wind directly impacted the upper atmosphere everywhere we observed the aurora,” explained planetary scientist and lead author of the study Mike Chaffin from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Chaos instead of order
The combination of the observations of both teams then confirmed this hypothesis. “What we saw was basically a map of where the solar wind ‘rained’ onto the planet,” Chaffin elaborated. The described plasma turbulence essentially led to the direct deposition of the solar wind on Mars during the entire Martian day.
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Under normal circumstances, it is very difficult for the solar wind to cut through the upper atmosphere of Mars because it is mostly redirected by the shock wave and magnetic fields surrounding the planet. The new observations of the anomalous proton aurora are therefore a window into rare circumstances—ones during which the interaction between Mars and the solar wind is, so to speak, chaotic.
However, it is not yet clear whether and to what extent this interaction with the solar wind creates the planet and its surface. “The full impact of these conditions on the Martian atmosphere is unknown, but observations by the EMM and MAVEN missions will play a key role in understanding these mysterious events,” Chaffin outlined.
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According to experts, it cannot be ruled out that the proton aurora can potentially have consequences for the long-term loss of the atmosphere and water on the planet. However, any hypotheses need to be verified by further research. “Much future data and modeling studies will be needed to unravel the full implications of these conditions for the atmospheric evolution of Mars,” the researchers concluded.
Aurora Borealis on Mars
Mars does not have its own global magnetic field. However, the induced magnetic field can create induced closed magnetic field lines along which charged particles ionizing the atmosphere can circulate when interacting with the plasma flowing from the Sun. These auroras are called diffusethey appear during periods of solar activity and occur roughly 70 km above Mars.
The second type of auroras is unique to Mars. The crust of the planet remembers the times when the planet still had its own magnetic field. Mars thus has its own local magnetic fields created by magnetized material in the crust. It appears at the interface of closed and open magnetic field lines discreet aurora borealis, roughly at heights of 140 km.
The third, most recently described type of aurora is protonic Aurora. This glow has no period on Earth because protons at a safe distance from Earth are deflected along the lines of the planet’s magnetic field due to its own magnetic field. Charged energy particles stop on Mars only in the ionopause, where they form a shock wave. Positively charged protons in the solar wind collide with the hydrogen shell of Mars, becoming ionized and neutralized by electrons from the hydrogen atoms. These charges allow a neutral part exchange to bypass the shock wave of the magnetic field around Mars and subsequently rain down in the upper atmosphere and emit ultraviolet light.
Source: Aldebaran weekly bulletin