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Based on atmospheric observations by the Outer Mars Tracking Gas Orbiter, the red planet is a bit green. This is the first time such an effect has been recorded on a planet other than Earth.
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The artist's artistic depiction of the green light of oxygen in the Martian atmosphere detected by the Trace Gas Orbiter of ESA's Mars Life Program. Image: ESA
According to atmospheric observations by the Trace Gas Orbiter, the Red Planet has a hint of green. This is the first time such an effect has been recorded on a planet other than Earth.
According to the latest study published in Nature Astronomy, as on Earth, the solar side of the Martian atmosphere glows green. When solar rays stimulate oxygen molecules in the upper atmosphere, they take on a green color.
This green light effect is rather faint, but astronauts on the International Space Station have the best view of observing the phenomenon of green light on Earth. When looking at the edge of the Earth, they can spot a green glow—right on the curved edge of the Earth, seemingly intersecting with space.
The green glow of Earth's atmosphere seen from the International Space Station in 2011. Image: NASA
Unlike the Aurora Borealis, which are commonly known as the Northern Lights and the Southern Lights, they are collisions between atmospheric molecules (i.e., oxygen and nitrogen) and particles (i.e., electrons) that originate from the Earth's magnetic field that move rapidly. In addition to the collision of molecules and particles mentioned above, green gas will also involve oxygen atoms that produce green hues, but when the sun's rays directly excite these atoms and molecules, due to the lack of a strong magnetic field on Mars, day will occur. When the destroyed molecules are recombined, noctilumines are produced.
Yes, oxygen is present on Mars, although it is not as much as it is on Earth. In fact, oxygen in the Martian atmosphere is a byproduct of carbon dioxide decomposition, the result of the sun's rays hitting one of its two oxygen atoms. According to a new study led by Jean-Claude Gérard of the University of Liège in Belgium, it is this process that produces a green light.
The green glow on Mars is predicted to have existed 40 years ago, but the first confirmed probe was achieved by the Trace Gas Orbiter, which has been orbiting Mars since 2016. The orbiter detected oxygen in the excited state with its NOMAD spectrometer, which scanned the heliotic surface of Mars in ultraviolet and visible light.
"Previous observations didn't capture any type of green light on Mars, so we decided to readjust [the ultraviolet and visible spectrometer]... Pointing the lens at the 'edge' of Mars, similar to the image of The Earth we see from the perspective of the International Space Station," Ann Carine Vandaele from the Royal Institute of Space Aeronautics and Astronautics in Belgium explained in an ESA press release.
The researchers made the measurements 12 to 250 miles (20 to 400 kilometers) above the Martian surface. Emissions of green oxygen are found at this altitude, but are most pronounced at 50 miles (80 kilometers) above the surface. This emission intensity varies with the distance between Mars and the Sun.
Interestingly, this technique can now be used to measure the density of the Martian atmosphere. This could be useful for future missions, where engineers would need to consider atmospheric resistance when using orbiting satellites and parachutes to deliver the probe to the martian surface.
Earth and Venus as seen from the surface of Mars. Image credit: NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory – California Institute of Technology
In other Mars-related news, NASA's Curiosity rover took pictures of Earth and Venus in the Martian night sky. Both planets appear as bright spots of light, and from Mars, Venus is brighter than earth emits. The image was taken on June 5, 2020, when Curiosity was measuring the brightness of twilight.
Related knowledge
Mars is the fourth planet in the solar system and has an atmosphere very different from Earth's. Since the discovery of small amounts of methane[1], research on its composition has received increasing attention[2][3] as this may be a sign of the presence of life on Mars. However, this can also be caused by inorganic methods such as geochemical, volcanic or hydrothermal action.
The Martian atmosphere is relatively thin , with surface pressures as low as 30 pa at the top of Olympus and as high as 1155 pa at the lows of the Greek plains. The average air pressure on the surface of Mars is 6 hPa, compared to 1013 hPa on Earth, which means that the atmospheric pressure of Mars is less than one percent of Earth's. The total mass of the Martian atmosphere is 25 megatons, while the Earth is 5148 megatons. However, its atmospheric elevation is 11 kilometers, which is slightly larger than the Earth's 7 kilometers. The Martian atmosphere contains 95 % carbon dioxide , 3 % nitrogen , 1.6 % argon , slight oxygen , water vapor , and methane , with an average molecular weight of 43.34 [ 5 ]. The atmosphere is also filled with a lot of dust, making it yellow-brown from the surface of Mars. According to the Mars Exploration Rover, these suspended dusts are about 1.5 microns wide.
BY: George Dvorsky
FY: Niribayashi
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