It took observations from both MAVEN and EMM to understand what was going on. Proton auroras occur on Earth too, but they can’t be seen by human eyes and are rarer due to Earth’s stronger magnetic field.
The result is an ultraviolet aurora that, until now, always seemed to occur as a coherent whole across the face of Mars but has now been seen in distinct patches. Some of the protons can bypass the bow shock by stealing electrons back from the busy region of space around Mars, becoming neutral and breaking through to hit the upper atmosphere. It’s a specific type of aurora called a proton aurora and occurs on the day side of the planet when hydrogen atoms from the Sun, stripped of their electron, blast toward the red planet and penetrate the “bow shock,” a magnetic barrier that naturally shields Mars’ atmosphere. Last month’s aurora was patchy, variable, and locally occurring by contrast. A similar aurora has been observed regularly since 2018, but usually, it occurs in a smooth, even band that covers the planet. The odd, patchy aurora created by the solar wind was observed twice, on August 11 and August 30 this year. The phenomenon represents an unusual occurrence in Martian space weather, and scientists are excited to take advantage of future collaborations between spacecraft to keep an eye out for repeat events.
In a joint effort between NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft and the United Arab Emirates’ Emirates Mars Mission (EMM), scientists have observed an uncommonly chaotic interaction between the solar wind and Mars’ upper atmosphere, creating a unique ultraviolet aurora.
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