NASA discovers strange flashes of light in the sky of Mars

NASA’s MAVEN is a satellite orbiting Mars. It has observed special flashes of light on the red planet.

Mars is very hot right now. Not in terms of temperature, as here in the Netherlands at the moment, but because of the interest. Last month, the United States, China, and the United Arab Emirates all sent a mission to Mars. They will only arrive in a few months. The United States has already run several missions on the planet. One of these is MAVEN, a satellite orbiting the planet.

Flashes of light on Mars

Although the satellite has been orbiting Mars for several years, new discoveries are still being made by the Americans. The latest is a special flash of ultraviolet light that has been observed in the atmosphere of Mars. That happens exactly three times a night on the planet and only during spring and autumn periods on the planet. In addition to those results, unexpected waves and spirals emerged at the winter poles.

“The MAVEN photos provide the first insight into the atmospheric movements in the middle atmosphere of Mars. A critical region where air currents transport gases between the lowest and highest layers, ”says Nick Schneider of the University of Colorado Scitechdaily. The brightness appears when vertical wind brings gases to areas where there is a higher density. These enhance the ultraviolet glow. The light is comparable to the Northern Lights that you can see in and near the Arctic Circle on Earth in winter. The bright spots float through the air for 300 kilometers.

Yet the light cannot be seen by future astronauts going to Mars. Due to the composition of the atmosphere of Mars, it cannot be seen at visible wavelengths. At least those astronauts seem to be coming. Elon Musk would like to have a colony on Mars in the future. Until then, we have to make do with a moon trip. If all goes well, people will be back on the moon in 2024.