According to Inc, scientists have detected what they believe to be lightning on Mars using NASA’s Perseverance rover’s microphone. The French-led research team documented 55 instances of “mini lightning” over two Martian years, primarily occurring during dust storms and dust devils on the windiest days. The electrical arcs were just inches in size and occurred within 6 feet of the microphone perched atop the rover’s mast. Researchers analyzed 28 hours of recordings to identify these electrical discharges, which lasted from a few seconds during dust devils to up to 30 minutes during dust storms. Lead author Baptiste Chide called it “a completely new field of investigation for Mars science” that could reveal chemical effects from electrical discharges.
Not your typical thunderstorm
Here’s the thing about Martian lightning – it’s nothing like the dramatic bolts we see during Earth thunderstorms. These are tiny electrical arcs, basically static electricity discharges generated when dust particles rub against each other in the thin Martian atmosphere. The researchers describe them as “faint zaps” that would be barely visible to the naked eye. And that thin atmosphere actually works against hearing them clearly – it absorbs much of the sound, making some discharges barely perceptible even when they’re happening just feet away from the microphone.
The evidence and the doubters
Now, not everyone is completely convinced yet. Daniel Mitchard from Cardiff University, who wasn’t involved in the study but wrote an accompanying article in Nature, points out the big limitation: these discharges were heard but not seen. The microphone was originally designed to record the rover zapping rocks with lasers, not to detect lightning. So while the evidence is strong and persuasive, Mitchard thinks there will still be debate until new instruments specifically designed for this purpose can verify the findings. Basically, it’s a classic scientific situation – exciting potential discovery that needs more evidence to become definitive.
Why this actually matters
So what does this mean for future Mars exploration? Well, don’t worry about astronauts getting struck by lightning – Mitchard confirms it’s “extremely unlikely” anyone planting a flag on Mars would get zapped. But these frequent static discharges could be problematic for sensitive equipment. Think about it – if you’re running sophisticated electronics on Mars, even small electrical arcs could cause issues. This is exactly the kind of environmental data that companies providing industrial panel PCs and other rugged computing equipment need to understand when designing systems for harsh environments.
Perseverance’s unexpected discoveries
This isn’t the first time Perseverance’s microphone has captured unexpected Martian sounds. We’ve already heard the rover’s wheels crunching over the surface and the whirring blades of its helicopter companion Ingenuity. The mission continues to collect rock samples from a dry river delta, searching for signs of ancient microscopic life. Though there’s some uncertainty about when those samples might make it back to Earth given NASA’s budget challenges, the rover keeps delivering new insights about the Red Planet. Who knew that a microphone meant for science experiments would end up eavesdropping on Martian weather?
