New York TimesJuly 5, 2021 15:52:16 IST
When charged proton and electron barrages erupt from the Sun, the Earth’s magnetic field skillfully deflects them around the planet. This buffeting produces a sparkling, sparkling colored curtain known as the Northern Lights in the Northern Hemisphere and the Northern Hemisphere in the Southern Hemisphere.
The same phenomenon occurs on Mars. But there are not only aurora and southern lights, but also equatorial lights, mid-latitude lights, eastern lights, and western lights — all over the globe.
Launched by the United Arab Emirates and orbiting the red planet since February, the Hope spacecraft has captured unique images of these dancing airglows known as discrete aurora borealis.
As predicted by theory, the artist’s impression of how the discrete aurora of Mars is seen from different views, including the surface of Mars, when the emission of light from a fleeting phenomenon extends into the visible spectrum. .. Image Credit: UAE / Twitter / @ HopeMarsMission
Mission officials released a photo on Wednesday.
“It will open the door to new research on the atmosphere of Mars,” said Hessa al-Matroushi, the scientific leader of the UAE’s first interplanetary mission, “and how it interacts with solar activity. Is it? “
The brilliance of Mars is not limited to the top and bottom of the planet. This is because most of the magnetic field around the planet disappears as the molten iron inside cools. However, part of the crust of Mars, which hardened billions of years ago when Mars had a global magnetic field, retains part of its magnetism.
“They are very spotted and unevenly distributed,” said Deputy Science Leader Justin Dian.
The Earth’s magnetic field is like one big bar magnet, but on Mars, “it’s like taking a bag of magnets and throwing them into the crust of a planet,” says a researcher at the Institute for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado. Said Deighan. Physics working with the UAE on a mission. “And they are all pointed out in different ways, and they have different strengths.”
As predicted by theory, the artist’s impression of how the discrete aurora of Mars is seen from different views, including the surface of Mars, when the emission of light from a fleeting phenomenon extends into the visible spectrum. .. pic.twitter.com/vuSnkJt07B
— Hope Mars Mission (@HopeMarsMission) June 30, 2021
The disjointed magnetic fields act as lenses to guide the solar wind particles to different parts of the Martian atmosphere, after which they collide with the atoms and molecules of the upper atmosphere, creating the glow of the aurora.
Earlier Martian aurora borealis also observed aurora borealis, but Hope, whose high-altitude orbits change from 12,400 miles to 27,000 miles above ground, offers a world-class view of the night side of Mars.
Taking pictures of the aurora was not part of the core scientific observations planned for the Hope spacecraft that went into orbit around Mars in February. The mission seeks to study the dynamics of the Martian atmosphere near the surface, which affects the speed at which the Martian atmosphere leaks into space.
But even before the probe was launched, scientists said that one of the instruments that observes the far-ultraviolet part of the spectrum to measure oxygen and hydrogen levels in the upper atmosphere could also detect the aurora. I noticed.
These are created when charged particles from the solar wind of the Sun flow down into the thin atmosphere of Mars through a spotted network of magnetic fields set up by huge deposits of magnetized minerals within the planet’s crust.#HopeProbe #Mars #DiscreteAurora pic.twitter.com/fUj7mAuQj7
— Hope Mars Mission (@HopeMarsMission) June 30, 2021
“Our guess is that we can see something, but we didn’t know how often it would happen,” Deighan said. “What’s really cool is that I saw it basically immediately and with such clarity. It was clear.”
NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft can also take similar pictures of the aurora on Mars as the elliptical orbit moves away from the planet. You can also directly measure and identify creating a light show as solar particles pass nearby. However, both measurements cannot be made at the same time.
By coordinating Hope’s aurora photographs with MAVEN particle measurements, planetary scientists may be able to put together a more complete understanding of Martian night light.
“Having two spacecraft is really what you want for this,” Deighan said.
Kenneth Chan c.2021 The New York Times Company
Auroras on Mars occur globally and UAE Hope Orbiters capture new images-Technology News, Firstpost
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