Dust-Driven Lightning on Mars: NASA Data Hint at Electrical Sparks in Dust Storms
TL;DR
Two NASA missions—MAVEN in orbit and the Perseverance rover on the surface—have detected signals suggesting lightning or related electrical discharges in Mars' dusty atmosphere. MAVEN identified a rare whistler radio signal from a 2015 data set, while Perseverance recorded crackling sounds during dust storms likely from electrostatic discharges in charged dust clouds. Taken together, the findings strengthen the case that Mars experiences dust-driven electrical activity, with possible implications for atmospheric chemistry and the planet's environment, though large lightning bolts remain unlikely.
- NASA’s Perseverance Rover Caught Crackling Sounds on Mars. Researchers Think It Was Electricity The Daily Galaxy
- Is there lightning on Mars? New evidence suggests it’s there, just hard to see Scientific American
- Lightning 'Whistler' Detected on Mars For The First Time, Scientists Report ScienceAlert
- Lightning on Mars: NASA’s MAVEN Orbiter Reveals a Strange Phenomenon on the Red Planet The Debrief
- Scientists report that a "whistling" lightning has been detected on Mars for the first time. CPG Click Petróleo e Gás
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