University of Kwazulu-Natal

Nasa S Mars Rover Records Lightning On Mars For The First Time Msn

Bonisiwe Shabane
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nasa s mars rover records lightning on mars for the first time msn

A lonely rover toiling among the sands of Mars has now answered an age-old question: If lightning crackles on the red planet and no one hears it, does it still make a sound? In recordings obtained by NASA's Perseverance rover, scientists have identified, for the first time, electrical discharges captured during Mars's wild dust events and whirling dust devils – not once, but 55 times over two... Crucially, the dusty weather in which these events appeared reveals the specific conditions required to generate electricity in the thin, bone-dry atmosphere of Mars – long suspected but never directly demonstrated until now. Related: Curiosity Cracked Open a Rock on Mars – And Discovered a Big Surprise Lightning is thought to occur when turbulent conditions in an atmosphere jostle particles around, rubbing them together to generate charge. Eventually, so much charge builds up that it has to go somewhere, producing a discharge.

Mars is renowned for its silence, and that silence has now been shattered by a remarkable discovery: lightning on the Red Planet. NASA’s Perseverance rover has achieved what was long thought impossible, providing the first-ever direct evidence of electrical discharges on Mars. The question of whether lightning exists on Mars has intrigued scientists for centuries. Perseverance has now answered it. For the first time, researchers have heard the sound of an electrical discharge on Mars, revealing a phenomenon vastly different from terrestrial lightning. Unlike Earth, the Martian atmosphere is dry and thin, and the discharges occur in the presence of dust storms, often referred to as dust devils.

Over the course of two Martian years, lightning has been recorded 55 times during these dust storms, highlighting the planet’s mysterious and electrified environment. Mars has no water clouds, and its atmosphere is exceedingly dry. The answer lies in the dust. When dust particles collide in the atmosphere, friction generates an electrical charge, a process known as the triboelectric effect, akin to rubbing a balloon on hair to generate static electricity. This effect, magnified by dust devils and sandstorms, produces the electrical discharges observed. Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox

The planet Mars is shown in this NASA Hubble Space Telescope view taken in 2016. PARIS – American space agency NASA’s rover has recorded evidence of lightning on Mars for the first time, its microphone picking up the sounds of tiny “zaps” whipped up by the dust storms constantly... Scientists have long debated whether electrical discharges could be sparking in the dusty and little-known Martian climate – but proof has been hard to come by. It turns out that NASA’s Perseverance rover, which has been roaming the red planet since 2021, was inadvertently recording the sounds of lightning, according to a study published in Nature this week. This image provided by NASA, shows a selfie of their Perseverance Mars rover, on July 23, 2024. The image is made up of 62 individual images that were stitched together.

(NASA via AP, file) CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Scientists have detected what they believe to be lightning on Mars by eavesdropping on the whirling wind recorded by NASA’s Perseverance rover. The crackling of electrical discharges was captured by a microphone on the rover, a French-led team reported Wednesday. The researchers documented 55 instances of what they call “mini lightning” over two Martian years, primarily during dust storms and dust devils. Almost all occurred on the windiest Martian sols, or days, during dust storms and dust devils.

Just inches (centimeters) in size, the electrical arcs occurred within 6 feet (2 meters) of the microphone perched atop the rover’s tall mast, part of a system for examining Martian rocks via camera and... Sparks from the electrical discharges — akin to static electricity here on Earth — are clearly audible amid the noisy wind gusts and dust particles smacking the microphone. NASA's Perseverance rover captured audio of dozens of lightning-like electric discharges. (Supplied: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS) Researchers say more than 50 instances of lightning on Mars were detected on audio recordings from the Perseverance rover — the first time such data has been captured. The team suggested dust devils and dust storms could be to blame, mimicking a similar electricity-producing mechanism that also happens on Earth.

While experts said the audio evidence was "persuasive", photo or video evidence of the actual flashes would be needed to confirm lightning on Mars. After decades of searching, it seems that lightning does occur on Mars — but it's nothing like the large bolts we experience on Earth. On Earth, lightning can occur in turbulent clouds of volcanic ash. Now researchers have found evidence of sparks in Martian dust devils. NASA/JPL/Caltech/University of Arizona hide caption Mini-lightning strikes created by whirling dust devils on Mars have been detected accidentally by the microphone on board the Perseverance rover.

The chance discovery is direct evidence of a form of lightning on Mars, researchers say in a report published in Nature. They describe how the rover's microphone picked up signs of electrical arcs just a few centimeters long, which were accompanied by audible shockwaves. "There's been a very big mystery about lightning on Mars for a long time. It's probably one of the biggest mysteries about Mars," says Daniel Mitchard, a lightning researcher at Cardiff University in the United Kingdom, who wasn't part of the research team but wrote an accompanying commentary... "The key thing here," he explains, "is that we actually have a rover on the surface of Mars that appears to have detected something that fits our idea of what we think lightning on... NASA has confirmed a milestone in planetary science, the first direct evidence of electrical discharges on Mars.

The Perseverance rover, stationed in the Jezero Crater since 2021, has detected what scientists are calling “mini-lightning”, faint but unmistakable sparks produced during intense Martian dust storms. For decades, lightning on Mars remained a scientific curiosity, often debated but never proven. The new findings, published in Nature, reveal 55 separate electrical discharge events captured over two Martian years through the rover’s SuperCam microphone and electromagnetic sensors. Mars is often described as eerily quiet. That silence was broken when Perseverance picked up sharp crackling noises, whip-like snaps accompanied by faint shockwaves. Scientists say these tiny bursts of energy lasted just milliseconds but carried enough signature to confirm electrical activity.

Most discharges occurred during fast-moving dust devils and storm fronts, which dominate Mars’ dry, thin atmosphere. The rover captured seven clear ‘blip-and-ring’ episodes — the closest Martian equivalent to thunder. Unlike Earth, Mars lacks moisture-rich clouds that trigger traditional lightning. Instead, dust particles crashing into one another produce static charges through the triboelectric effect. In strong winds, these charges accumulate rapidly and release as sparks just a few centimetres long. Researchers say the planet’s carbon-dioxide-rich, low-pressure atmosphere makes it easier for sparks to form compared to Earth’s deserts.

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