A unique green glow recorded on Mars

The traditional name is Red Planet,secured by Mars will be called into question in the near future, after the discovery by European astronomers of an unusual green glow in the atmosphere of the planet. The unique phenomenon was first recorded using the ESA ExoMars (TGO) orbiting spacecraft and processed by scientists from the University of Liege in Belgium.

A similar phenomenon occurs on Earth whenAurora is observed, during which electrons from interplanetary space enter the upper atmosphere. Such a collision leads to the release of oxygen atoms from carbon dioxide, which provides a nice greenish glow that is constantly visible from the ISS on the horizon of our planet.

Theoretical Assumption of a Possiblethe appearance of a green glow in the atmosphere of Mars, was expressed back in the 80s of the last century. Now, using the spectrographs of the TGO apparatus, a real fixation of such a phenomenon was carried out.

ESA ExoMars station is in orbit of Mars with2016 and the last seven months has been actively involved in the observation and search for a unique phenomenon of green glow. During the observation, astronomers scanned the atmosphere using the equipment of the station, including a UVIS spectrometer operating in the visible and ultraviolet optical spectrum.

Atmospheric portions were scannedfrom 20 to 400 km above the surface of Mars. Moreover, at each level of the orbit, the study was conducted twice with a frequency of four days. At all heights, a greenish glow was recorded associated with the release of oxygen. At the same time, the most active Martian radiance was seen at an altitude of 80 km.

Surveys allow you to getinformation for calculating the density of the atmosphere affecting the resistance of the medium. These data are necessary for future Mars colonizers when calculating the trajectory of satellites and parameters of parachutes for cargo dropped onto the surface of the Red, but not much Green planet.

Source: ESA