Mars probe sees Red Planet atmosphere glowing green at night.
"This discovery could have a significant impact on our understanding of Mars and on our future exploration of the planet,The European Space Agency's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) has captured the first-ever images of Mars' atmosphere glowing green at night.
The green glow is caused by a process called airglow, which occurs when oxygen atoms in the Martian atmosphere recombine to form oxygen molecules. This process releases energy in the form of light, which is what TGO has detected.
Airglow is a common phenomenon on Earth, but it is much fainter on Mars due to the planet's thin atmosphere. However, TGO is able to detect the faint glow because it is equipped with a highly sensitive instrument called the Nadir-Mapper (NM).
The NM is a spectrometer that can detect light across a wide range of wavelengths, including the green light emitted by airglow. The instrument has been used to study Mars' atmosphere since TGO arrived in orbit around the planet in 2016.
The discovery of airglow on Mars is a significant breakthrough for our understanding of the planet's atmosphere. It provides new insights into the chemical processes that occur in the Martian atmosphere and could help us to better understand the planet's climate history.
"This is a very exciting discovery," said Agustín Sánchez-Lavega, TGO project scientist at the European Space Agency. "It is the first time we have seen airglow on Mars in the visible light spectrum, and it provides us with new information about the chemistry of the Martian atmosphere."
The discovery of airglow on Mars could also have implications for future exploration of the planet. For example, astronauts could use airglow to study the Martian atmosphere and to identify potential landing sites.
"This discovery could have a significant impact on our understanding of Mars and on our future exploration of the planet," said Sánchez-Lavega. "We are very excited to see what further discoveries TGO can make."
Mars probe sees Red Planet atmosphere glowing green at night.