These three images of atomic oxygen emission at a wavelength of 103.4 nm from the planet Mars were obtained by the Emirates Mars Ultraviolet Spectrometer instrument on 22 April, 23 April, and 06 May 2021 respectively. pic.twitter.com/YDFOAOm4et
— Hope Mars Mission (@HopeMarsMission) June 30, 2021
Unlike on Earth, glows of aurora might be seen not just at the highest and bottom but all round the Mars . this is often largely because the molten iron in Mars' interior cooled and therefore the magnetic flux around had died out, consistent with a report by the ny Times (NYT). However, some parts within the planet’s crust, which hardened billions of years ago when Mars had a magnetic flux , preserved a number of the magnetism, causing the phenomenon, the NYT further explained.
“It will allow new doors of study to be opened when it involves the Martian atmosphere and the way it interacts with the solar activity”, NYT quoted the UAE’s science lead for the primary interplanetary mission Hessa al-Matroushi as saying on June 30.
While taking pictures of the auroras wasn't a part of the core observations planned for the Hope probe, its high-altitude orbit has enabled it to capture a worldwide view of the night side of Mars too, the NYT further reported.
On Earth, the northern lights and southern lights are observed within the northern and southern polar regions respectively. it's caused when solar particles from the sun are deflected round the planet by its magnetic flux , generating shimmering, glowing curtains of colour.
However, on Mars, it are often observed all round the planet. this is often because, the earth’s magnetic flux is like one magnet , while in Mars “it’s more such as you took a bag of magnets and dumped them into the crust of the planet”, Dr Justin Deighan of the University of Colorado’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics explained, the NYT reported.
These disjointed magnetic fields act as lenses to direct the particles from the sun across the Martian atmosphere. Auroras are generated when these particles hit atoms and molecules within the upper atmosphere, the report further showed.
