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Unique Day-Night Behavior of Mars’ Crustal Magnetic Field
Context:
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG) recently explored the crustal magnetic field of Mars and made intriguing discoveries regarding its interaction with the Martian ionosphere.
- The institute, known for its expertise in Earth’s magnetic field and plasma environment, expanded its research focus to planetary space plasma with this investigation.
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Background
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Key Highlights:
- Mars lacks a global magnetic field but possesses scattered crustal magnetic fields concentrated in the southern hemisphere.
- These fields are located poleward of 30°S latitude and between longitudes of 120° E to 240° E.
- The fields exhibit much stronger effects during the day.
- These fields significantly influence the Martian ionosphere in the southern hemisphere, with their control being notably stronger compared to the northern hemisphere.
- At night, the influence of these crustal magnetic fields diminishes substantially, resulting in nearly negligible effects on the ionosphere. Consequently, the hemispheric asymmetry observed during the day disappears.
- The control exerted by Mars’ crustal magnetic fields over the ionosphere during the day does not appear to be affected by the Sun-Mars distance or seasonal variations.
- This suggests a consistent pattern of crustal field influence regardless of the planet’s orbital position.
Implications:
- Understanding the behaviour of Mars’ crustal magnetic fields and their effects on the ionosphere is crucial for future robotic and human missions to the Red Planet.
- This knowledge will aid in assessing the magnetic shielding available on Mars, which has direct implications for the safety and success of future space exploration missions.
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Mars’ atmosphere is over 100 times thinner than Earth’s and mainly consists of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and argon gases.According to NASA, oxidised dust particles lifted from the Martian surface give the sky its rusty tan colour.Water is present on Mars, but the atmosphere is too thin to support liquid water on the surface for extended periods. Instead, water is found below the surface in the polar regions as ice and also appears as seasonal briny water flowing down hillsides. |