Al Amal mission discovered a new kind of auroras on Mars
(Emirates Mars Mission)
The Al Amal mission has discovered a new type of auroras in the atmosphere of Mars, called sinuous discrete auroras.
They are characterized by a large extent and were observed in the ultraviolet wavelength range.
Unlike the Earth, Mars does not have a global magnetic field, but it does have local fields due to the remanent magnetization of rocks on the planet's surface.
Because of this, aurora on Mars can be observed in the equatorial regions.
Researchers distinguish three types of Martian auroras caused by the interaction of the solar wind with the planet's magnetic field: diffuse, discrete and proton.
Until recently, scientists had only observational data on proton auroras; other types of auroras could not be studied in detail.
The situation with discrete auroras changed last year, when the station Al Amal for the first time received their detailed images on the night side of Mars.
Now, scientists from the mission reported that they were able to identify a new type of aurora on Mars, called sinuous discrete aurora.
Images of the aurora were taken by the EMUS (Emirates Mars Ultraviolet Spectrometer) instrument at a wavelength of 130.4 nanometers.
They extend several thousand kilometers from the day side to the night side of Mars, originate in the upper atmosphere, and appear as long, worm-like structures.
Excited atoms of the atmosphere, such as oxygen, are responsible for their radiation.
These auroras were observed during the arrival of solar plasma streams to Mars, due to which the atmosphere was affected by faster and more turbulent streams of solar wind electrons.
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