NASA captures auroras from the surface of Mars for the first time: this is this mysterious green glow

Mars has always evoked a certain mystery among humans . Thanks to the numerous missions that NASA and other space agencies, such as China's, have sent to our neighboring planet, we are unraveling more and more mysteries . What scientists and astronomers didn't imagine was that they would be able to find in the Martian sky a phenomenon that fascinates us all on Earth .

NASA has captured an aurora visible from its surface for the first time , using natural light, without the need for ultraviolet sensors. A green glow lit up the Martian sky after a powerful solar storm in March 2024.

The discovery was made possible by the Perseverance rover , which captured the images with its cameras and sensors . The event was also confirmed by the MAVEN orbiter, which specializes in studying the planet's atmosphere, and by data from the European Space Agency's (ESA) Mars Express mission.

“This exciting discovery opens up new possibilities for auroral research and confirms that auroras could be visible to future astronauts on the surface of Mars ,” says Elise Knutsen, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oslo in Norway and lead author of the Science Advances study that reported the detection.

How is it possible to see auroras on Mars if it doesn't have a magnetic field?

On Earth, auroras—like the Northern Lights—occur because our magnetic field deflects particles from the Sun toward the poles, where they collide with the atmosphere and create their spectacular colors .

Mars, however, does not have a global magnetic field . It lost it billions of years ago, when its core stopped generating enough energy to keep it active.

However, it retains small magnetic fields in certain areas of its crust, like magnets buried underground . When a strong solar storm hits, these areas can deflect particles into the Martian atmosphere, where the same effect occurs: the oxygen is excited and emits a green light, just as it happens on our planet.

The difference is that on Mars, auroras can appear anywhere in the sky , not just near the poles.

A discovery that goes beyond the visual spectacle

Until now, Martian auroras had only been detected in ultraviolet light and from space. This is the first time they've been seen from the ground and in visible light .

Specifically, the phenomenon has been observed from the Jezero crater on Mars, where NASA's Perseverance probe is located, whose MEDA weather station carries an RDS (Radiation and Dust Sensor) sensor designed and manufactured in Spain at the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) .

This is an important step for future human missions, as understanding how solar storms affect Mars helps predict risks and protect technology .