Patchy Proton Aurora: Astronomers Found a New Type of Mars Aurora
By Louise Franco
Sep 03, 2022 12:01 PM EDT
A new Mars aurora called "patchy proton aurora" has been discovered by astronomers, according to a new study. While it has been known that there is unique aurora in our neighboring planet called "proton aurorae" the new phenomenon has been described to be more to be more disorganized and chaotic. It was deemed to be still possible even if Mars does not have a magnetic field.
Patchy Proton Aurora
(Photo : Photo by Chris Danals, National Science Foundation via Wikimedia Commons)
The observations and recordings of the Patchy Proton Aurora was published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
The findings were based on the observations by the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) of the United Emirates together with the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
The EMM's observations indicated that the Mars aurora was so widespread and chaotic that the plasma environment around the Red Planet could have been disturbed. It may have reached a point where the solar wind was directly hitting the upper atmosphere of the planet, according to the study's lead author Mike Chaffin from the University of Colorado Boulder, as cited by IFLScience.
Aurora Borealis
On Earth, auroras that occur in the North Pole are called aurora borealis or northern lights. Meanwhile, if the phenomenon occurs in the South Pole, it is called aurora australis or the southern lights. Regardless of the location, both auroras are characterized with beautiful light shows in the sky.
More:
https://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/52902/20220903/patchy-proton-aurora-astronomers-found-new-type-mars.htm