Mysterious magnetic pulses discovered on Mars
Sonda InSight was sent to Mars by NASA as part of the Discovery program, has just observed a very interesting phenomenon that can help us understand the essence of the functioning of this still mysterious object for us.
The American agency has just reported that the InSight lander, sent to the Red Planet to conduct geophysical and seismological surveys, has observed mysterious pulsing nights that last about two hours. Everything as part of the combined meeting of the European Planetary Science Congress (EPSC) and the American Astronomical Society (an organization of professional astronomers, as well as other people interested in its activities), where we also learned about further evidence of liquid water under the surface of Mars.
We remind you that InSight started on May 5, 2018 and settled on the surface of Mars on November 26, and on its board were three instruments of planetary sciences, i.e. for research in the field of the construction and evolution of planets, moons and smaller celestial bodies, as well as processes occurring on them, as well as auxiliary instruments, i.e. a magnetometer for measuring the size, direction and changes of the magnetic field. It is the latter that is the source of recent revelations, because the data collected by him shows that the place of his landing has a strong magnetic field, which sometimes pulsates at night.
Pulses can last up to two hours and are the strongest in the northern part - according to NatGeo, the pulses themselves should not surprise anyone, but the fact that they occur only at night, and more specifically around midnight, is already very interesting. Scientists are not yet able to explain this, but they hope that the measurements made by the lander will be able to help us understand the differences between the magnetic fields of Earth and Mars.
No less fascinating are further evidence of the existence of water on Mars, which suggests that the planet may once have been covered by huge oceans (just like the infernal Venus we have just written about). Scientists have recently found a deep conductive area beneath the planet's surface with this magnetometer, but they need more time to identify it properly, and moreover, no data has yet been scientifically reviewed. Anyway, in less than a year the lander has provided us with so much valuable information that there is nothing left but to look for more with interest.
We know a lot about Mars. Hopefully one day we will have a chance to travel there for touristic purposes. Well, living there will take a bit more time. Don’t you think so?