Mars - Electric Atmosphere

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Expand view Topic review: Mars - Electric Atmosphere

Re: Mars - Electric Atmosphere

by nick c » Thu Jul 08, 2021 8:01 pm

Nice find Gary!
I would also expect future discoveries to indicate that Phobos and Deimos are pieces of Mars, and probably some asteroids.

Re: Mars - Electric Atmosphere

by GaryN » Thu Jul 08, 2021 6:06 pm

Serendipitous Juno Spacecraft Detections Shatter Ideas About Origin of Zodiacal Light
While there is good evidence now that Mars, the dustiest planet we know of, is the source of the zodiacal light, Jørgensen and his colleagues cannot yet explain how the dust could have escaped the grip of Martian gravity. They hope other scientists will help them.
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/20 ... acal-light

If the dust does come from Mars I can think of only one way it could get there.

Re: Mars - Electric Atmosphere

by Poppa Tom » Tue Apr 13, 2021 3:44 pm

I am interested in electric Mars.
As I understand it Mars was another Earth, i.e. North and South poles, magnetic fields, atmosphere etc., Could a supposed hard connection between the core and the upper atmosphere, such as a drilling to the center would produce a release of cosmic electrical energies once the crust/ insulation was removed, produce a scar such as Valles Marienaris?

Re: Mars - Electric Atmosphere

by GaryN » Sun Mar 14, 2021 11:35 pm

"..a second Schiaparelli crater."
Oops.

I think electricity plays a much bigger part on Mars than they would like to admit.
The actual mechanism that uplifts dust into the atmosphere is still nor clearly understood
The electrostatic environments of Mars and the Moon
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1 ... 012006/pdf

Looking at where they think the majority of the atmospheric dust originates I'd think there will be a connection to the 'volcanic' region of Olympus Mons, a surface flow towards where I would expect a higher electron density.
https://media.springernature.com/full/s ... ng?as=webp
The wind lofted dust model doesn't sound right, this is likely grains electrically stripped from the surface and being equally charged will repel each other and spread out.
The Medusae Fossae Formation as the single largest source of dust on Mars
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-05291-5

Re: Mars - Electric Atmosphere

by paladin17 » Sat Mar 13, 2021 8:46 am

ExoMars' EDM Schiaparelli unit had an instrument for measuring atmospheric electricity (Micro-ARES) on board. Unfortunately, the mission ended in 2016 by creating a second Schiaparelli crater.

Re: Mars - Electric Atmosphere

by GaryN » Fri Mar 12, 2021 9:50 pm

I wondered about a fairweather electric field on Mars but I don't think experiments have been performed. The top two results from a search were these:

Is there a Martian atmospheric electric circuit?
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com ... 00JE001271

A Global Electric Circuit on Mars.
https://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2001/pdf/2150.pdf

And searching TB:
Mars Lights and Lightning
https://www.thunderbolts.info/tpod/2010 ... lights.htm

If the upper atmosphere is being ionised by UV and up solar radiation surely there must be a constant dayside electric field? Photodissociation of Carbon Dioxide occurs when subject to UV, so perhaps the red-ish atmosphere during the day is from oxygen emissions?

Re: Mars - Electric Atmosphere

by Robertus Maximus » Thu Mar 11, 2021 1:25 pm

An Extremely Elongated Cloud over Arsia Mons Volcano on Mars

http://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/ ... ious_cloud

'Mars Express unlocks the secrets of curious cloud'.

https://arxiv.org/abs/2103.03919

I wish to draw the readers' attention to Figure 3e in the paper linked above. The image shows the elongated cloud sweeping away from the summit of the Martian 'volcano' Arsia Mons, to my mind the fine structure visible in the cloud is reminiscent of Martian Dust Devils.

Later images show that the cloud consists of a head, pinched neck and long tail that can extend up to 1,800 kilometres westward from Arsia Mons. Does the fact that the tail stretches toward the machined region of Amazonis Planitia have any significance?

Given Mars’ distance from the Sun, can we assume solar heating alone can lead to the development of such a cloud?

A recent discovery by the Juno spacecraft that the dust which gives rise to the Zodiacal Light visible from Earth likely originates from Mars suggests that Mars continues to electrically discharge to its environment.

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/20 ... acal-light

Researchers on the Juno mission were unsure how dust can leave Mars; perhaps more dust left in the past? Was Mars more comet-like in the recent past?

Today’s Martian dust storms and elongated clouds would pale into insignificance when compared to the past events which sculpted its surface.

MAVEN Maps Electric Currents around Mars

by Solar » Mon Dec 21, 2020 8:18 pm

Not sure if this were mentioned in these threads:
As solar wind ions and electrons smash into this stronger induced magnetic field near Mars, they are forced to flow apart due to their opposite electric charge. Some ions flow in one direction, some electrons in the other direction, forming electric currents that drape around from the dayside to the nightside of the planet. At the same time, solar x-rays and ultraviolet radiation constantly ionize some of the upper atmosphere on Mars, turning it into a combination of electrons and electrically charged ions that can conduct electricity. - MAVEN Maps Electric Currents around Mars that are Fundamental to Atmospheric Loss May 25, 2020
Document is paywalled:
Induced magnetospheres form around conductive non-magnetized planetary objects (such as the ionospheres of Mars, Venus, Titan, Pluto and comets) in the electrodynamic interaction with a magnetized flowing plasma, such as the solar wind. The resulting induced currents couple the ionosphere and the deflected plasma, thus they provide insight into the solar wind’s role in powering the heating, escape and evolution of planetary atmospheres. In contrast to the analogous current systems in intrinsic magnetospheres, which were mapped decades ago at Earth, the current systems of induced magnetospheres are largely unexplored. Here, we use five years of magnetic field measurements from the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) orbiter to empirically map the current systems of the Martian induced magnetosphere. We find unexpected features, in particular: coupling of the ionosphere and the bow shock, asymmetries between the north–south electric hemispheres and a twist in the near-Mars current system. The current flow pattern in the induced magnetosphere of Mars indicates a system driven by a magnetospheric convective electric field, powered by the solar wind interaction. - The global current systems of the Martian induced magnetosphere - Robin Ramstad, David A. Brain, Yaxue Dong et al Published: 25 May 2020

Mars - Electric Atmosphere

by Robertus Maximus » Mon Dec 21, 2020 7:37 pm

Continuing from:

https://www.thunderbolts.info/forum/php ... ?f=4&t=761

https://www.thunderbolts.info/forum/php ... &start=135

Powerful electrical events quickly alter surface chemistry on Mars and other planetary bodies

https://eps.wustl.edu/news/powerful-ele ... ary-bodies

"Dust-related electrochemistry can reshape Martian surface materials with physical and chemical changes observable after only hundreds of years. Similar electrical effects may be instrumental on Venus and Europa."

"A new paper from Alian Wang, research professor of Earth and planetary sciences, reports the third in a series of studies on the electrochemical effects of Martian dust activity. This latest work focuses on amorphous sulfur and chlorine salts found by the Curiosity rover at Gale crater on Mars. The chemical signature of these materials could have been induced by electrochemical processes during Martian dust activities in a relatively short geologic time frame of years to hundreds of years. The paper was published Nov 17 in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets."

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com ... 20JE006701

In another paper by Alian Wang we find that "Until now, the chemical processes caused by electrostatic discharge have been under-appreciated."

https://eps.wustl.edu/news/electrically ... rine-cycle

Recognition that "under-appreciated" and "powerful electrical events" can affect a planetary surface. How long before we see an acknowledgement that powerful electrical events can reshape a planetary surface?

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