Our planet isn't the only place in the Solar System where these phenomena can be found.
An atmospheric glow has been seen at every planet except Mercury and some moons of Jupiter. Mars is where it gets interesting. The red planet is famous for its lost global magnetic field, an ingredient that plays a crucial role in the formation of the northern lights.
Mars is not completely magnetism-free. The southern hemisphere has regions of magnetic fields. New analysis has shown that these small magnetic fields interact with the solar wind in ways that can produce Mars's ultraviolet Auroras.
We have the first detailed study looking at how solar wind conditions affect the weather on Mars.
The occurrence rate of the Aurora is dependent on the orientation of the solar wind magnetic field and the solar wind dynamic pressure.
We have a pretty good idea of how the planets come together. They appear when particles from the solar wind collide with Earth's magnetosphere, and are then accelerated along the lines of the magnetic field to high latitudes, where they rain down into the upper atmosphere.
There, they interact with atmospheric particles to produce the light that dances across the sky.
Evidence shows that the phenomena are similar on other bodies. Jupiter has a powerful magnetic field that facilitates the permanent Auroras.
The global magnetic field on Mars decayed early on in the planet's history, leaving behind only a few patches of magnetism. Magnetic field lines are needed for particle acceleration, and the images of Mars at night show that the Auroras form near the magnetic fields.
The solar wind conditions are taken into account by the team. They analyzed data from the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft, which has been collecting ultraviolet images of the red planet. It has an instrument called the Solar Wind Ion Analyzer, which analyzes the solar wind.
They compared data on the solar wind's pressure and strength with data on the magnetic field on Mars. They found that the solar wind's pressure outside of the magnetic field plays a significant role in detecting the Auroras.
The pressure of the solar wind doesn't seem to affect the brightness of the Auroras. This suggests that space weather events, such as mass ejections of charged particles from the Sun and associated with higher solar wind pressure, may cause the Martian Auroras.
The orientation of the magnetic field and the solar wind is thought to be a factor in the formation of the Auroras on Mars. The solar wind seems to be favorable to the magnetic reconnection events at certain orientations.
The researchers said that the results show new information on how the solar wind can generate the Auroras on a stripped of its global magnetic field. This information can be used to better understand the formation of the auroras.
Now is a very fruitful and exciting time for researching the Aurora at Mars.
The first database of its kind, it allows us to understand basic features of the aurora for the first time.
The research has been published.
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