Perseverance rover watched greenish glow in Martian skies for the first time
As the Sun unleashed one of the strongest eruptions in over two decades in 2024, the results were visible not just on Earth, but across the Solar System.The Perseverance rover watched the impact felt by the Martian skies as they turned green from the solar storm that left the Sun on March 15, 2024.The Sun produced a solar flare and an accompanying coronal mass ejection (CME), a massive explosion of gas and magnetic energy that carried with it large amounts of solar energetic particles.
The first visible-light image of green aurora on Mars (left), taken by the Mastcam-Z instrument on Nasa's Perseverance Mars rover. (Photo: Nasa)
advertisement
'This exciting discovery opens up new possibilities for auroral research and confirms that auroras could be visible to future astronauts on Mars' surface.' Elise Knutsen, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oslo said.Scientists had long theorised that green auroras also occur on Mars just as on Earth. Due to the Red Planet's lack of a global magnetic field, Mars has different types of auroras than those we have on Earth.The team determined the optimal angle for the Perseverance rover's SuperCam spectrometer and Mastcam-Z camera to successfully observe the SEP aurora in visible light. "The trick was to pick a good CME, one that would accelerate and inject many charged particles into Mars' atmosphere,' said Knutsen.The coronal mass ejection that left the Sun on March 15 struck Mars a few days later providing a light show for the rover to capture, showing the aurora to be nearly uniform across the sky.advertisementBy coordinating the Perseverance observations with measurements from MAVEN's SEP instrument, the teams could help each other determine that the observed 557.7 nm emission came from solar energetic particles. 'Perseverance's observations of the visible-light aurora confirm a new way to study these phenomena that's complementary to what we can observe with our Mars orbiters,' said Katie Stack Morgan, acting project scientist for Perseverance.Researchers said that a better understanding of auroras and the conditions around Mars that lead to their formation is especially important as space agencies prepare to send human explorers there safely.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Deccan Herald
20 minutes ago
- Deccan Herald
Black Carbon emissions accelerating melting processes in Himalayas: Report
The study - Impact of Black Carbon on Himalayan Glaciers: A 23-Year Trends Analysis - examined NASA satellite data of the Himalayan glaciers from 2000-2023 to evaluate the impact of Black Carbon emissions resulting from burning biomass and fossil fuels.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
an hour ago
- First Post
How does Isro save satellites from collision?
The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) saved its satellites from collision 11 times in 2024 by performing collision avoidance manoeuvres. read more India saved its satellites from collision 11 times in 2024, according to Isro's Indian Space Situational Assessment Report (ISSAR) report. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) in the report said that it saved six satellites in the low-Earth orbit (LEO) and four in the geostationary orbit (GEO) from collision. The Isro also said that it prevented the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter from a planetary collision. The Isro said that an orbit maintenance manoeuvre was originally scheduled for Chandrayaan-2 on November 26, 2024, but it was advanced to Nov. 11 to mitigate conjunctions with Nasa's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which were predicted to occur on Nov. 15-16. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Isro prevents such collisions by performing collision avoidance manoeuvres (CAM). These are planned changes in a spacecraft or a satellite's trajectory in space to avoid running into some other space object, which can be a body in the space, satellites, or debris from other satellites. The Isro performs such manoeuvres after conducting Space Situational Awareness (SSA) assessments to see whether an object in the space is going to be in the close vicinity of a spacecraft or a satellite. Such objects can include space debris, natural objects like asteroids and meteoroids, and energy and particle flux. ALSO READ: From a slow start to a concrete policy, how India has shaped space research with hits and misses Isro's System for Safe and Sustainable Operations Management (IS4OM) functions as the nodal entity for all space sustainability efforts, including SSA assessments and to improve compliance with internationally-recognised guidelines on the long-term sustainability of outer space activities. Isro in the report said that it conducts analyses to predict close approaches by other space objects to Indian space assets. In case of any critical close approach, CAMs are carried out to rule out or minimise the collision risk. Last year, the Isro said that the Combatant Space Operations Center of the US Space Command had issued more than 53,000 alerts Isro's Earth-orbiting satellites. These alerts were analysed using more accurate orbital data from flight dynamics and 11 collision avoidance manoeuvres were conducted — as mentioned above. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Isro released the following graph to show the CAMs conducted in recent years: Cumulative number of collision avoidance manoeuvres (CAMs) performed for Earth-orbiting satellites of Isro till 2024. (Photo: Isro) The number of CAMs was less in 2024 compared to the previous year because improved close approach analysis methodology with larger conjunction screening volume and usage of more accurate ephemerides helped to meet collision avoidance requirements by adjusting orbit maintenance manoeuvres on several occasions and avoiding exclusive CAMs, according to Isro. Last year, the Isro said, all manoeuvre plans, including those of the CAMs, were subjected to close approach risk analysis to rule out any potential close approach with other neighbouring space objects imminently after the manoeuvres. In doing so, the report said that 89 manoeuvre plans were revised to avoid post-manoeuvre close approaches with other space objects for LEO satellites and on two occasions manoeuvre plans were revised such for GEO satellites.
India.com
2 hours ago
- India.com
Rs 85,33,82,00,000 for one suit... this much money will end poverty in Pakistan, the suit is for....
Indian Air Force (IAF) Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla prepares to join Axiom Space's fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, set to launch on June 8. Shukla is set to become the first astronaut from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to visit the station as part of a joint effort between NASA and the Indian space agency. He will also be India's second national astronaut to go to space since 1984. Rakesh Sharma earned the distinction of being the first Indian to go to space on board Russia's Soyuz spacecraft in IAF pilot who is among the astronauts chosen for ISRO's Gaganyaan mission, India's first human space flight, was promoted to group captain in March 2024. He has 2,000 flight hours on various aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and the An-32. Special suits are made for astronauts, which are quite expensive. Going by the media reports, NASA's spacesuits can cost anywhere between 10 million to 22 million dollars, depending on the model and features included. One of the key features of the suits is to protect astronauts from the harsh environment of space. At present, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is developing the new xEMU suit, which is reportedly slated to cost about 1 billion dollars (around 8,355 crore rupees). Surprisingly, this price is due to the advanced technology used in the suit, designed to keep astronauts safe during long missions. Highlighting an example, the spacesuits used by NASA during the Apollo missions in 1974 were reported to cost between $15 million and $22 million each. If adjusted for inflation, this equates to approximately $83 million to $122 million in today's dollars. One of the key functionalities of the spacesuit is to protect astronauts in extreme conditions: both very hot and very cold. It can function in temperatures ranging from -150°C to +120°C. In addition, the suit protects astronauts from harmful radiation and tiny space debris. Not only for protection, but space suits include systems for oxygen supply, temperature regulation, and carbon dioxide removal. All these features require advanced materials and specialized technology. Therefore, these suits are so expensive. It also protects astronauts from the vacuum of space, as well as harmful radiation from the Sun and other celestial bodies.
