2023-11-21 05:00:11
Mars, often described as the Red Planet, exhibits a surprising atmospheric phenomenon: a green glow. Thanks to the gas tracer on the ExoMars TGO instrument of the European Space Agency (ESA), scientists were able to observe for the first time this green glow in the visible light spectrum (Visible light, also called spectrum visible or optical spectrum is the part of…).
Artistic impression of the ESA ExoMars Gas Tracker detecting the green glow of oxygen in the Martian atmosphere.
Credit: ESA
This manifestation, called airglow (or daytime and nighttime glow depending on the time), also occurs on Earth, although it differs from the aurora borealis in its causes. On Mars, this phenomenon occurs at around 50 km altitude when two oxygen atoms combine to form a dioxygen molecule, unlike terrestrial auroras caused by collisions between charged solar particles and the magnetic field (In physics, the magnetic field (or magnetic induction, or flux density…) of the Earth.
This glow had been suspected on Mars for almost 40 years, but its first observation dates back only a decade thanks to the ESA’s Mars Express orbiter, which detected it in the infrared spectrum (Infrared radiation (IR) is a electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength…). More recently, in 2020, the phenomenon was observed in visible light by the TGO, but during the Martian day and not at night.
An illustration of what astronauts on Mars might see when looking toward the planet’s poles.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell Univ./Arizona State Univ. – EW Knutsen
Jean-Claude Gérard, planetologist at ULiège, emphasizes that these new observations are unexpected and stimulating for future missions to the Red Planet. The possibility of observing this emission during the polar night by future astronauts, either in orbit or from Martian soil, opens up interesting perspectives.
The study of this Martian night glow, which will continue as part of the TGO mission, will provide scientists with valuable insight into the processes taking place in the Martian atmosphere. As explained by Benoit Hubert, researcher at the Laboratory of Atmospheric and Planetary Physics (LPAP) of the University of Liège (The University of Liège is a university of Belgium located in…), remote observation of these emissions is an excellent tool for studying the composition and dynamics (The word dynamic is often used to designate or qualify that which relates to the movement. It…) of the upper Martian atmosphere.
This research also contributes to the design of future spacecraft intended for Mars, by improving the understanding of the density of its atmosphere. This knowledge is essential for the construction of satellites resistant to Martian atmospheric drag or for the design of parachutes suitable for landing. firm….) on the surface of the planet.
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#Mars #red.. #green
