‘Miniature Lightning‘ detected on Mars: NASA Rover Makes Rare Finding
PASADENA, CA – November 29, 2025 - NASA’s Perseverance rover has detected evidence of transient luminous events – dubbed “miniature lightning” – in the Martian atmosphere, a rare observation detailed in a new study published today in Nature Geoscience. The discovery marks the first confirmed detection of electrical activity in the atmosphere of another planet and offers crucial insights into Martian dust devil formation and atmospheric composition.
While terrestrial lightning is commonly associated with water clouds, the Martian events occurred within dust devils, towering columns of dust swirling across the planet’s surface. Researchers believe thes electrical discharges are generated by the friction between dust particles within the vortex, creating a localized electrical field strong enough to trigger the brief, faint flashes observed by Perseverance’s Mastcam-Z camera system. This finding challenges existing models of Martian atmospheric electricity and opens new avenues for understanding the planet’s complex weather patterns.
The observations, made between August 2023 and september 2024, revealed that these transient luminous events are considerably smaller and shorter in duration than their Earth-based counterparts.”It’s not the dramatic, cloud-to-ground lightning we’re used to seeing,” explained Dr. Edwin kite, a planetary scientist at the California institute of Technology and lead author of the study.”These are more like tiny sparks,occurring within the dust devil itself.”
The study’s findings suggest that electrical activity may play a more notable role in Martian meteorology than previously thought. Dust devils are known to influence the planet’s atmospheric circulation and contribute to dust storm formation. understanding the electrical processes within these vortices could improve predictions of Martian weather events and inform future robotic and human exploration missions. NASA scientists plan to continue monitoring for these events using Perseverance and, possibly, future Martian missions equipped with dedicated atmospheric sensors.
