{"id":2320,"date":"2025-12-19T22:11:31","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T22:11:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/?p=2320"},"modified":"2025-12-19T22:11:34","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T22:11:34","slug":"are-there-auroras-on-mars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/?p=2320","title":{"rendered":"Are there auroras on Mars?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>With contributions from Dr. Andr\u00e9a Hughes<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"985\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-3.png\" alt=\"Three blue-hued images of Mars illustrate proton aurora\" class=\"wp-image-2324\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-3.png 985w, https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-3-300x88.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-3-768x225.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 985px) 100vw, 985px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Images of Mars proton aurora. <em>Credits: LASP, Univ. of Colorado, Boulder \/ NASA MAVEN<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The short answer is yes, but they are <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/newfound-martian-aurora-actually-the-most-common-sheds-light-on-mars-changing-climate\/\">different<\/a> from those on Earth. When we think about the aurora, we often imagine beautiful green and red lights that ring the night skies around the north and south poles, with the most dramatic displays in the hours around midnight. This kind of aurora requires a robust <em>dipole<\/em> magnetic field: one that has two poles, like the Earth\u2019s. Mars lost the ability to create aurora like ours more than four billion years ago, when it lost most of its internal magnetic field. (Earth was just a baby planet at the time.) Therefore, Mars doesn\u2019t have aurora in the same way that Earth does. That said, there are <em>many <\/em>kinds of aurora, and Mars has numerous <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/science-news\/science-at-nasa\/2015\/11may_aurorasonmars\">other types<\/a>, some of which are more similar, but not identical, to Earth\u2019s. In this blog post, we\u2019ll cover the fascinating, invisible Martian proton aurora.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A Mars MAVEN<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-2-1024x576.png\" alt=\"MAVEN orbits like a mechanical bird, solar panels outstretched, over Mars in an artist's concept art\" class=\"wp-image-2323\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-2-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-2-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-2-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-2.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">MAVEN Artist&#8217;s Concept Orbiting Mars. Credits: NASA\/GSFC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since September 2014 the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/maven\/\">Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN)<\/a> orbiting spacecraft has been learning a lot about the Red Planet\u2019s past through its upper atmosphere. MAVEN\u2019s mission is to investigate how Mars lost much of its atmosphere and water, transforming its climate from one that might have supported life to one that is cold, dry, and inhospitable. The spacecraft surveys the planet with a number of instruments, including its Imaging UltraViolet Spectrograph (<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/lasp.colorado.edu\/maven\/science\/instrument-package\/iuvs\/\">IUVS<\/a>), which can see ultraviolet light invisible to human eyes. Proton auroras on Mars happens during the day and give off ultraviolet light, so scientists can study it using instruments like MAVEN\u2019s IUVS.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MAVEN recently celebrated <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/missions\/maven\/celebrating-10-years-at-mars-with-nasas-maven-mission\/\">10 years<\/a> in orbit: an amazing milestone!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JH4OxUc8kFs?si=n7eTXJ4M7YhcnpIT\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can follow its continuing journey on its <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/maven\/\">website<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MAVEN2Mars\">X\/Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What is Martian proton aurora?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The solar wind, made up of particles carrying magnetic fields from the Sun, constantly streams through the solar system. Some of the particles are protons: hydrogen atoms stripped of their lone electrons by intense heat. Mars lacks a dipole magnetic field (like Earth\u2019s), but it does have a weaker, induced magnetic field. This field deflects charged particles (like protons, ions, and electrons) around the planet along a shield shape called a \u201cbow shock\u201d.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, there is also the Martian hydrogen corona: a huge, extended \u201ccloud\u201d of hydrogen surrounding the planet. Some sneaky solar wind protons can steal an electron from hydrogen atoms, becoming neutral through a \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasas-maven-spacecraft-finds-that-stolen-electrons-enable-unusual-aurora-on-mars\/\">charge exchange<\/a>\u201d. They are no longer affected by the induced magnetic field, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/svs.gsfc.nasa.gov\/12986\/\">bypassing<\/a> the bow shock and going straight into the atmosphere. When these high-speed, incoming neutral atoms hit the atmosphere, some of their energy is emitted as ultraviolet light when they de-excite. Because this process takes place on the side of the planet facing towards the Sun, proton auroras occur almost entirely on the dayside of Mars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/marsprotonauroramovie1080v4.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2325\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This animation shows a proton aurora at Mars. <em>Credits: NASA\/MAVEN\/Goddard Space Flight Center\/Dan Gallagher<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Imagine summer in the southern hemisphere of Mars. Due to Mars\u2019 highly elliptical orbit, the planet is also near the part of its orbit closest to the Sun, and it can become relatively hot. While higher temperatures might sound fantastic for a beach day on Earth, southern summer on the dry planet of Mars coincides with periods of huge dust storms. These high temperatures and atmospheric dust can force water vapor higher into the atmosphere, where extreme ultraviolet light from the Sun breaks the water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is weakly bound by Mars\u2019 gravity, and the hydrogen corona surrounding Mars puffs up during this time, increasing the amount of hydrogen that escapes into space. More hydrogen beyond the Martian bow shock allows interactions with solar wind protons to be more common, which in turn make Martian proton aurora brighter and more frequent during this time of year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">H<strong>ow do <\/strong><strong>Martian <\/strong><strong>proton auroras reveal how Mars has changed?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr. Andr\u00e9a Hughes works in the Laboratory for Ionosphere, Thermosphere, Mesosphere Physics within the Heliophysics division of NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and jointly at George Mason University. She studies proton aurora on Mars, for which she received the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.loreal.com\/en\/usa\/news\/commitments\/loreal-usa-names-2024-for-women-in-science-awardees-champi\/\">2024 L\u2019Or\u00e9al For Women in Science (FWIS) award<\/a>. Her work provides a novel and unprecedented understanding of Martian proton aurora, which contributes to our understanding&nbsp; of why the Red Planet has evolved into the cold and dry climate that it is today. Learn more about Dr. Hughes\u2019 journey and research <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.loreal.com\/en\/usa\/video-category-page\/fwis\/andrea-hughes\/\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAll the conditions necessary to create Martian proton aurora (e.g., solar wind protons, an extended hydrogen atmosphere, and the absence of a global dipole magnetic field) are readily available at Mars and contribute to creating this unique type of aurora,\u201d says Dr. Hughes. \u201cWhat\u2019s even more exciting is that the connection between MAVEN\u2019s observations of increased hydrogen escape and increased proton aurora frequency and intensity means that proton aurora can actually be used as a proxy for evaluating what\u2019s happening in the hydrogen corona surrounding Mars, and therefore, a proxy for evaluating atmospheric escape and water loss at Mars.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Proton aurora on Mars act as an indicator of some of the important processes that led to major changes in the Martian climate. It is also relevant to any planetary body that lacks a dipole magnetic field, like Venus, comets, or even exoplanets! Understanding present-day auroral processes on Mars can provide a window into how conditions changed in the past (<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/ui.adsabs.harvard.edu\/abs\/2018NatAs...2..802D\/abstract\">Deighan et al., 2018<\/a>; <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1002\/2017GL076235\">Ritter et al., 2018<\/a>; <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1029\/2019JA027140\">Hughes et al., 2019<\/a>), which is critically important to understanding the evolution of our solar system through time. Learn more about how the solar wind relates to atmosphere loss <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/learn\/heat\/resource\/hby-and-math-17-atmosphere-loss-through-solar-wind\/\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"985\" height=\"554\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image.png\" alt=\"A split image shows on the left a dry, desertlike red planet and on the right a water-covered planet with a cloudy atmosphere\" class=\"wp-image-2321\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image.png 985w, https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-768x432.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 985px) 100vw, 985px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Conceptual image depicting the early Martian environment (right) \u2013 believed to contain liquid water and a thicker atmosphere \u2013 versus the cold, dry environment seen at Mars today (left). <em>Credits: NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With contributions from Dr. Andr\u00e9a Hughes The short answer is yes, but they are different from those on Earth. When we think about the aurora, we often imagine beautiful green and red lights that ring the night skies around the north and south poles, with the most dramatic displays in the hours around midnight. This&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/?p=2320\" rel=\"bookmark\">Read More &raquo;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Are there auroras on Mars?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2323,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"yes","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"[\"title\",\"meta\",\"content\",\"tags\",\"comments\"]","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,12],"tags":[20,28],"class_list":["post-2320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-solar-events","category-understanding-the-aurora","tag-auroras","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2320\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}