The atmospheres of Mars and Earth have a common feature

The atmospheres of Mars and Earth have a common feature
The atmospheres of Mars and Earth have a common feature
Anonim

The MAVEN spacecraft discovered two types of structures in the Mars ionosphere - "layers" and "cracks", also found in the Earth's ionosphere, where they interfere with local and distant radio signals.

"Layers" are areas of accumulation of electrically charged plasma. They form suddenly and persist for several hours, reflecting radio signals like a mirror of light. "Layers", which scientists have known for 80 years, are located at an uncomfortable height of 100 km, where due to the thinness of the air, planes no longer fly, but its density is too high for satellites. Scientists are trying to explore these layers using special rockets that are able to stay in the ionosphere for several tens of minutes, but this is not enough.

Fortunately, Mars has a thinner atmosphere, which allows MAVEN to be in low orbit and observe "layers" in the ionosphere. So the spacecraft detected bursts of plasma at certain points in the Martian ionosphere. Similar bursts are observed on Earth.

“Layers on Earth can be detected by anyone with a radio, but we still can't explain them,” says Glyn Collinson, chief scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. "Who would have thought that one of the best ways to understand them is to send a satellite 482 million kilometers to Mars?"

Another phenomenon, "cracks", occurs in areas where there is less plasma. MAVEN was the first spacecraft to detect such faults on Mars. This discovery refutes earlier models that "cracks" cannot exist in the atmosphere of the Red Planet.

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