It is understood that glowing oxygen is released as a consequence of interactions between Earth’s upper atmosphere and electrons travelling through interplanetary space. Such reactions cause the emission of light in the form of a green glow, as is visible during instances of aurora or polar lights commonly witnessed in high-latitude regions on Earth.
Recently, a similar green glow was detected on Mars by the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) using its NOMAD (Nadir and Occultation for Mars Discovery) suite of instruments, which includes the advanced ultraviolet and visible spectrometer (UVIS). This discovery was in line with the theoretical predictions of its existence. The glow became observable when the UVIS was repositioned to point towards Mars’ visible “edge”.
The primary investigators of this phenomenon spent more than seven months last year scanning altitudes between 20 and 400 kilometres from the surface of Mars, ultimately concluding that green oxygen emission was visible in all of them. Ann Carine – Principle Investigator from NOMAD – mentioned that the emission was highest at an altitude of approximately 80 kilometres from Mars’ surface, with it varying based on the distance between Mars and the Sun.
Looking into the glow within planetary atmospheres can help reveal their composition and dynamics. Furthermore, it can help understand the distribution of energy caused by the Sun’s rays and solar winds. Researcher Jean-Claude Gérard of the Université de Liège, Belgium revealed that the modelling of the green emission showed it was chiefly produced by the decomposition of carbon dioxide molecules into its components: carbon monoxide and oxygen. Understanding such phenomena can help accrue insight into the changes in Mars’ atmosphere as it traverses round the Sun. The ExoMars TGO’s observation marks the first time green glow emissions have been directly observed around another planet. The study observed emission on the dayside of Mars, which is much brighter, from which it can be inferred that the NOMAD suite of instruments are highly sensitive and capable of capturing high-quality data.
The exploration of atmospheric phenomena can also help account for hitherto unknown variables that could affect any future missions to the Red Planet. The accumulation of such information will help eventually predict changes caused by climatic patterns and solar activity on Mars’ atmosphere. Being able to accurately predict changes in Mars’ atmosphere will especially be important for ExoMars’ 2022 mission, which will send a rover and surface science platform to the planet’s surface.
Reference: ESA
Read the latest news on Magnetic field of Mars- MAVEN maps electric currents around MARS
Author
One thought on “Green-glowing Oxygen Detected on Mars”
Comments are closed.