NASA rover captures lightning on Mars for first time
What's the story
NASA's Perseverance rover has made a groundbreaking discovery by capturing lightning on Mars for the first time. The findings were published in the journal Nature. The electrical discharges were recorded during dust storms and dust devils over two Martian years, revealing the specific conditions under which electricity can be generated in Mars's thin atmosphere.
Discovery details
Lightning on Mars: A unique phenomenon
The Perseverance rover recorded 55 instances of electrical discharges, seven of which showed a distinctive signature. The SuperCam microphone detected an electronic "blip" caused by electromagnetic interference when the discharge interacted with its wiring. This was followed by a ringdown lasting about eight milliseconds and concluded with an acoustic signature similar to a tiny clap of thunder, indicating that lightning does indeed occur on Mars. The majority of electrical discharges (54 out of 55) were recorded during dust storms.
Future impact
Mars lightning: Implications for future exploration and astrobiology
The discovery of lightning on Mars could influence the design of future exploration technology, helping to protect it from these electrical discharges. It also opens up new avenues for modeling chemical reactions in Mars's atmosphere mediated by electrical discharge. On a speculative level, this finding could also factor into estimates of the probability of life on Mars, given current theories about life's emergence on Earth invoking lightning as a delivery system for necessary ingredients.