The Emirates Mars Exploration Project, the Hope Probe, the first space mission to explore the planets led by an Arab country, announced the recording of observations, the first of its kind, regarding a new type of proton auroras around Mars.
Intermittent proton auroras that occur in changing locations may provide new understanding regarding unexpected changes in the behavior of the Martian atmosphere.
The Hope Probe team collaborated with NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) project to study and characterize the observations.
Studying the world’s unprecedented images of the intermittent protein auroras with the MAVEN probe’s observations of Mars plasma at the same time opens new horizons for understanding the mysterious causes of the auroras on Mars.
Hessa Al Matrooshi, Scientific Team Leader of the Emirates Mars Exploration Project, said: “The discovery of intermittent proton auroras enriches the probe’s record of unique achievements, and also raises questions regarding our current hypotheses regarding how protons auroras formed on the bright side of the planet.”
She added that the Hope probe has so far revealed many unexpected phenomena that enhance our understanding of the dynamics of the Martian atmosphere and magnetism, and these new scientific observations, in addition to the data of the MAVEN probe, enhance the course of scientific research in this field.
The new type of intermittent proton auroras is formed as a result of the interaction of the solar wind directly with the upper atmosphere of the bright side of Mars, which slows its speed and emits ultraviolet radiation.
The proton auroras were detected through snapshots of the luminous disk of Mars through the ultraviolet spectrometer, which monitors the upper atmosphere and the outer atmosphere of Mars to detect any changes in the composition of the atmosphere and the leakage of its gases into space.
The aurora appears as luminous areas scattered across the bright side of the planet with two wavelengths of ultraviolet radiation associated with the hydrogen atom: Lyman-beta 102.6 nm and Lyman-alpha 121.6 nm.
Under normal conditions, the bright side appears uniform at these two wavelengths, as hydrogen atoms contribute to the planet’s brightness due to the scattering of sunlight.
Auroras occur when small areas of the planet become brighter at these wavelengths, indicating that energy is concentrated in specific regions of the atmosphere.
“Previous studies of proton auroras by NASA’s MAVEN probe have shown similar light emissions at these two wavelengths,” said Mike Chaven, a member of the scientific team of the Emirates Mars Exploration Project and a lead contributor to a new research study on proton aurorae. The ultraviolet spectrophotometer of the Emirates Mars Exploration Project is the first scientific observations in the world to monitor the spatial changes of the proton auroras on Mars, thanks to which we were able to clearly observe the structure of the irregular protein aurora for the first time, and we realize that these wavelengths are only emitted by The hydrogen atom, which confirms to us that the formation of the aurora requires the presence of highly active hydrogen atoms.”
He added: “Given the size scales of the solar wind and the extended hydrogen atmosphere in Mars, the natural mechanisms of proton aurora formation appear to be limited to the formation of the aurora phenomenon that we monitor today through the ultraviolet spectrometer. This confirms the exposure of the plasma layer around Mars to severe disturbances.”
He pointed out that thanks to the images and measurements of the MAVEN probe of this layer in conjunction with the aurora, we can confidently confirm that the solar wind directly affected the upper atmosphere wherever the aurora phenomenon was present. Therefore, this phenomenon represents a map of the places where large amounts of solar wind reach Mars.
