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Looking at a Martian Aurora Borealis

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the northern-lights dept.

mike_1138 writes "According to new research, 'The Martian auroras differ from those on Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune...' I've seen the Borealis here on Earth, and they're beautiful. I can't imagine what they must look like in a Martian night."

22 of 100 comments (clear)

  1. Oh. Great. by soupdevil · · Score: 5, Funny

    New Slashdot category -- things we can't imagine...

  2. The Martian auroras differ... by TripMaster+Monkey · · Score: 4, Funny


    Of course they're different...the Martians are causing them to strobe out the message 'Keep your junk off our planet'.

    Too bad no one on Earth understands Martian Morse code...

    ^_^

    --
    ____

    ~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey

    1. Re:The Martian auroras differ... by 77Punker · · Score: 2, Funny

      Actually, Martians prefer to beam messages directly into our brains or abduct us to tell us personally, which is why I use a thought screen. http://www.stopabductions.com/

  3. I can't imagine what they must look like on Mars by syntap · · Score: 3, Funny

    Or on Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune either I assume.

  4. Don'l look like much by pegasustonans · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I've seen the Borealis here on Earth, and they're beautiful. I can't imagine what they must look like in a Martian night.

    Well, considering they're estimated to be about 1% as powerful, I'd have to venture a guess that they really don't look like much at all. At least not in visible light.

    --
    And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. --Will
  5. Aurora Borealis? NO! Aurora Australis! by Bananatree3 · · Score: 4, Informative
    FTA:Auroras were detected from Terra Cimmeria in the southern hemisphere of Mars.

    southern hemispher auroras are called Aurora Australis. Nothern Hemisphere auroras are Aurora Borealis.

    1. Re:Aurora Borealis? NO! Aurora Australis! by ink_13 · · Score: 2, Informative

      The terms "Borealis" and "Australis" are somewhat meaningless on Mars. The correct term is simply "Aurora". It's the editors who made the goof.

    2. Re:Aurora Borealis? NO! Aurora Australis! by zakezuke · · Score: 4, Informative

      The terms "Borealis" and "Australis" are somewhat meaningless on Mars. The correct term is simply "Aurora". It's the editors who made the goof.

      Borealis, Boreas - The great north wind; greek god of. aka Aquilo
      Australis, Auster - The great south wind; roman god of. aka Notus

      Aurora - latin / middle english - Dawn

      If you want to be anal about the subject, Aurora Aquilonis would be a bit more consistent with the Roman theme. But both words would apply on other planets just as well as they do on earth as it means the dawn north or south wind.

      --
      There is no sanctuary. There is no sanctuary. SHUT UP! There is no shut up. There is no shut up.
  6. I've found that auroras on Uranus... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...burn more.

  7. Maybe once, then I'd sleep in by smchris · · Score: 4, Funny


    It's hard enough to get me out for this sort of thing when it's 0F. At -100F, it better be REALLY, REALLY pretty.

  8. Pictures for those who haven't by KarMann · · Score: 2, Interesting
    "...I've seen the Borealis here on Earth, and they're beautiful. I can't imagine what they must look like in a Martian night."

    For those who haven't seen them, I happened to get some nice pictures of the bunch from this past May 14/15. Please don't melt down my server, but enjoy the pictures.

    On the other hand, it doesn't seem likely anyone here hasn't already seen them in pictures, but what the heck.

    --
    ProofReading Markup Language - and yes, I find typos.
  9. Re:Hrm... by TripMaster+Monkey · · Score: 3, Interesting


    Actually, I have to correct an error in my previous post...the magnetic field strength of the Martian crust is 400 nT...compared to Earth's 3000 nT, it's a far cry from 'nearly as strong'.

    As for the solar winds, an insufficiently strong magnetic field would contribute to the solar wind eroding both the surface and the atmosphere over time.

    --
    ____

    ~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey

  10. Re:Hrm... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Actually, Mars's magnetic field is weak -- indeed, it does not have a global field created by an active core, but rather weak patches -- link

    Here on Earth, the visible aurora has little to do with the magnetosphere either. While ionized particles from the solar wind are funneled towards the magnetic poles of the Earth (imagine spiralling along the field lines), the actual light is caused when atmospheric gas is bombarded by these particles, kicking them into higher energy states. These energy states tend to be unstable, so the molecules drop down a state and the energy is released as a photon. The specific colour released has to do with the particule kind of gas that is discharging.

  11. Imagination is a nice thing... by NitsujTPU · · Score: 3, Funny

    I can't imagine what they must look like in a Martian night

    I can't either. They should take a picture of it.

  12. I can't imagine what they look like on Mars... by Justifiable_Delusion · · Score: 2, Funny

    well...you could look at the pictures...those help. :-)

    --
    Mad, adj : Affected with a high degree of intellectual independence. Ambrose Bierce - The Deveil's Dictionsary
  13. In case of slashdotting... by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 2, Informative

    use coral cache.

    http://www.ghiapet.homeip.net.nyud.net:8090/~jowen s/AuroraTemp/

  14. atmospheric composition by viva_fourier · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Looking at Mars' Atmosphere there is substantially less atmospheric oxygen, nitrogen, and argon on the red planet.

    Since, Earth's Aurora is caused by the magnectic excitation of ions in the atmosphere, namely the O2 and N2 -- I imagine the "Aurora Martiania" would be a lot less intense. Also, because there's a greater distance to Mars from the Sun, I would also think the intensity of the magnetic 'bursts' would be smaller (due to lambertian emission, i.e. equidirectional).

    But, since "they've" detected *something*, it's reasonable to say there is an aurora present on Mars. I would wait on booking your MLT vacation until some hard evidence comes in...

    --
    and now back to the fallout shelter...
  15. Re:Magnetic Field? by TeacherOfHeroes · · Score: 3, Informative
    Planetary magnetic fields are caused by the activity in the interior of the planet. From Wikipedia:
    The Earth's core, however, is hotter than 1043 K, the Curie point temperature at which the orientations of electron orbits within iron become randomized. Such randomization tends to cause the substance to lose its magnetic field. Therefore the Earth's magnetic field is caused not by magnetised iron deposits, but mostly by electric currents (known as telluric currents).
    Another feature that distinguishes the Earth magnetically from a bar magnet is its magnetosphere. At large distances from the planet, this dominates the surface magnetic field. In addition, the magnetized elements within the planetary core are undergoing rotation and are not static.
    Electric currents induced in the ionosphere also generate magnetic fields. Such a field is always generated near where the atmosphere is closest to the Sun, causing daily alterations which can deflect surface magnetic fields by as much as one degree.
    As the planet ages, the core cools, and the resultant magnetic field decreases. Cehck out the full wikipedia article
  16. Re:Man on Mars by BobVila · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Can we just go there already? We need to start terraforming that place now. My great great great ... grandchildren need a place to live.

  17. Re:I can't imagine what they must look like on Mar by SeaDour · · Score: 4, Informative

    Aurora on Jupiter: http://msslhx.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/~npm/Web_Pages/Visito r_Pages/aurora/Jupiter_aurora.gif

    Aurora on Saturn: http://www.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/pages/general/news/satur ns_aurora/assets/saturn_aurora.jpg

    Uranus and Neptune probably have them too, but are too far away to see them clearly from Earth-based telescopes.

  18. No, still wrong... by umofomia · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Borealis, Boreas - The great north wind; greek god of. aka Aquilo
    Australis, Auster - The great south wind; roman god of. aka Notus
    Even though the aurora was observed in the southern hemisphere of Mars, it doesn't mean it should automatically be called aurora australis. They're called borealis and australis on Earth because they're caused by the magnetic field lines going to the northern and southern poles, respectively.

    However, because Mars' magnetic field is too weak to create the phenomenon by similar means, the aurora is caused by a separate mechanism, namely the magnetic anomalies described in the article, which can occur anywhere on the planet. For this reason, it should not be called aurora borealis or aurora australis, but rather aurora [insert god of magnetic rocks here].

  19. ob Simpson's by po_boy · · Score: 2, Funny

    That's nothing. I've had them localized entirely within my kitchen.