Electrical activity detected on Mars

Scientists believe they have detected electrical activity in the Martian atmosphere for the first time, raising the possibility that the Red Planet is capable of lightning.

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The findings come from NASA’s Perseverance rover, which landed on Mars in 2021 and has spent the past four years exploring the Jezero Crater in search of signs of ancient life. The rover’s SuperCam instrument captured audio and electromagnetic data that researchers say include electrical discharges, nicknamed “mini lightning”, BBC reports.

A team of scientists in France analysed 28 hours of microphone recordings collected over two Martian years, or 1,374 Earth days. They discovered that these electrical bursts were most often linked to dust devils and dust storm fronts. Dust devils, formed when hot air rises from the ground and spins into small whirlwinds, can generate internal movements capable of producing electrical discharges.