Mars Mystery: NASA's MAVEN Spots Aurora, Strange Dust Cloud
NASA's MAVEN finds two unexpected phenomena on the red planet.
— -- A mysterious dust cloud and a glowing aurora stretching deep into the Martian atmosphere have captivated scientists at NASA who are trying to unlock the mysteries of the Red Planet.
NASA's MAVEN spacecraft observed the high-altitude dust cloud in the Martian atmosphere. Since the probe has only been at work for four months, researchers said it remains unclear if it is temporary or a long-lasting phenomenon.
Mars' two moons, Phobos and Deimos, may be the possible culprits for the clouds, according to NASA. Other possibilities include a collection of dust from the atmosphere or particles carried by solar wind away from the sun.
"However, no known process on Mars can explain the appearance of dust in the observed locations from any of these sources," NASA said in a statement today.
As for the light show that occurred for five days before Christmas, NASA said today the aurora was likely caused by energetic particles from the sun.
"What's especially surprising about the aurora we saw is how deep in the atmosphere it occurs -- much deeper than at Earth or elsewhere on Mars," Arnaud Stiepen, a MAVEN team member at the University of Colorado, said in a statement.
The particles were even more energetic and able to strike deeper into Mars' atmosphere since the Red Planet lost its protective magnetic field billions of years ago, according to NASA.