NASA’s Perseverance Rover Observes Visible Aurora on Mars

NASA‘s Perseverance rover has made a groundbreaking observation by spotting an aurora on Mars that would be visible to the human eye. This first sighting of its kind on the Red Planet suggests that future astronauts could experience a natural light show during their missions.

Astronomers have been observing auroras on Mars since 2005. These lights occur when particles or radiation collide with a planet’s atmosphere. Traditionally, Martian auroras have only been detected in the ultraviolet spectrum, which is invisible to the naked human eye. The latest observation, however, reveals auroras produced by oxygen in the atmosphere being energized by charged particles, visible to humans.