Scientists finds Red Planet ‘can also be green’

THE Red Planet can also be green, according to scientists.

For the first time, a visible nightglow has been detected in the Martian atmosphere by ESA’S Exomars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) mission.

The illumination from the nightglow could be enough to light the way for future astronauts, as the glow can be as bright as moonlit clouds on Earth.

ESA explain: “When future astronauts explore Mars’s polar regions, they will see a green glow lighting up the night sky.

“Under clear skies, the glow could be bright enough for humans to see by and for rovers to navigate in the dark nights.

“Nightglow is also observed on Earth. On Mars it was something expected, yet never observed in visible light until now.”

While nightglow is seen on Earth, it is not to be confused with auroras which are produced when energetic electrons from the Sun hit the upper atmosphere.

Atmospheric nightglow occurs when two oxygen atoms combine to form an oxygen molecule, about 50 km above the planetary surface.

ESA explain that the oxygen atoms have been on a journey: they form on Mars’s day side when sunlight gives energy to carbon dioxide molecules, making them split apart.

When the oxygen atoms migrate to the night side and stop being excited by the Sun, they regroup and emit light at lower altitudes.

“These observations are unexpected and interesting for future trips to the Red Planet,” said Jean-claude Gérard, lead author of the new study and planetary scientist at the University of Liège in Belgium.

The international scientific team was intrigued by a previous discovery made using Mars Express, which observed the nightglow in infrared wavelengths a decade ago.