Scientists puzzled by Mars haze

Scientists are attempting to figure out what is causing a haze around Mars that appeared twice before vanishing.

Amateur astronomers first saw the plume in March 2012. It was visible for 10 days, then was spotted a month later for another 10 days before it disappeared. Scientists writing in the journal Nature have two theories: It could be an extremely bright aurora or a large cloud of carbon dioxide or water particles. "We know there are clouds on Mars, but clouds, up to this point, have been observed up to an altitude of 100km, and we are reporting a plume at 200km, so it is significantly different," Antonio Garcia Munoz, planetary scientist at the European Space Agency, told the BBC. "We know in this region on Mars, there have been auroras reported before. But the intensities we are reporting are much much higher than any auroras seen before on Mars or on Earth."

If either of those scenarios are correct, then it means our understanding of Mars' upper atmosphere isn't right, Garcia Munoz said. He is hopeful that other scientists who read the paper will be able to come up with more explanations about the mystery haze.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up