NASA’s Perseverance Rover Observes Aurora on Mars for the First Time

NASA’s Perseverance rover has made a groundbreaking discovery by identifying the first visible light aurora on Mars. This exciting finding indicates that future astronauts could potentially experience stunning light displays on the Red Planet.

Since 2005, researchers have identified aurorae on Mars, which are caused by the interaction of solar particles with the planet’s atmosphere. Until now, these phenomena were only detectable in ultraviolet light, not visible to the human eye. The auroras are generally produced when charged particles from the sun energize oxygen in Mars’ atmosphere, leading to light emissions that were previously unseen by human observers.