Mars May Have a Mohawk: Red Planet Has Rock Star Particle Hairstyle

First Posted: Jun 23, 2015 09:36 AM EDT
Close

Mars may be sporting a "hairstyle" that's sure to make other planets jealous. NASA's MAVEN spacecraft has discovered that the Red Planet sports a "Mohawk" of escaping atmospheric particles at its poles, and "wears" a layer of metal particles high in its atmosphere, and lights up with aurora after being hit with solar storms.

MAVEN was first launched toward Mars on Nov. 18, 2013. Since then, the spacecraft has orbited the planet, trying to discover how the Red Planet lost its atmosphere. This mission was then extended from November of this year through Sept. 2016 in light of its success. Now, researchers are learning a bit more about Mars.

"MAVEN is observing a polar plume of escaping atmospheric particles," said Bruce Jakosky, principal investigator for MAVEN in a news release. "The amount of material escaping by this route could make it a major player in the loss of gas to space."

Theoretical models have actually predicted that the electric field generated by incoming solar wind could drive ions in the direction of one pole or the other, creating a polar plume of escaping ions. When tracing particle trajectories in the models, though, the plume looks a bit like a "Mohawk."

The findings reveal a bit more about the Martian atmosphere. This, in turn, may tell scientists how the atmosphere has escaped over time. This, in turn, may tell researchers whether or not the Red Planet could have been hospitable to life at some point in the ancient past.

The findings are being discussed at a MAVEN-sponsored "new media" workshop held in Berkley California.

Related Stories

Mars: Methane in Rocks Hints at Possibility of Life on the Red Planet

Organisms and Life from Earth Can Survive the Harsh Conditions on Mars

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).

See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone

©2017 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.

Join the Conversation

Real Time Analytics