Understanding how the Martian ambience has evolve is important in our lookup for life beyond Earth , and the latest research suggest that the Red Planet ’s aura is even more fragile than we thought .
accord to NASA ’s MAVEN ( Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution ) space vehicle , when comet C/2013 A1 ( Siding Spring ) had a close encounter with Mars inOctober 2014 , it sent the Martian magnetosphere into disarray , and gases were able to get off into space .
“ Comet Siding Spring engulf the magnetised field of honor around Mars into chaos , ” order Jared Espley , a MAVEN scientific discipline team penis at NASA ’s Goddard Space Flight Center , in astatement .
“ We think the encounter blow away part of Mars ’ upper atmosphere , much like a strong solar storm would . ”
The charismatic field that ring Mars , its magnetosphere , is very weak . It is generated by plasma in the upper standard atmosphere interact with the solar winds . Earth ’s magnetized field , for comparison , is return by the interior rotation of liquefied iron , and it is substantial enough to protect us and the atmosphere .
Comet Siding Spring is also surrounded by a plasma - induced charismatic field . As the nucleus of the comet is heated by the Sun , it release a big amount of charged particles that create the atmosphere - like comatoseness , which extends to over a million kilometer ( more than 600,000 miles ) from the tiny 500 - meter - widely ( 1,640 - metrical unit ) cell nucleus .
At the near coming , the comet was just 140,000 kilometers ( approximately 87,000 miles ) from Mars . The comet ’s coma enveloped the entire planet , with the more dense region near reaching all the way to the planet ’s aerofoil .
The comet ’s magnetosphere enveloped the intact satellite . NASA / Univ . of Colorado
This enquiry , published inGeophysical Research Letters , looked at the issue of this showdown , highlight how the magnetosphere was feign . As the comet was approaching the magnetised field began to realign towards it , but as the two objects got closer and end the fundamental interaction was too intense for the thin Martian magnetic field . Without a stable magnetosphere , gas pedal was able to flee the outer layers of the atmosphere .
“ The main activeness took shoes during the comet ’s closest approach , ” said Espley , “ but the planet ’s magnetosphere begin to find some effects as soon as it entered the outer edge of the comet ’s coma . ”
MAVEN has already established that solar storm and solar wind have been responsible for turning Mars into a stagnant major planet , by steadilyblowing the atmosphere away .
“ With MAVEN , we ’re essay to realise how the Sun and solar nothingness interact with Mars , ” allege Bruce Jakosky , MAVEN ’s principal research worker from the University of Colorado ’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics in Boulder .
“ By looking at how the magnetospheres of the comet and of Mars interact with each other , we ’re getting a good understanding of the detailed processes that control each one . ”
