Scientists believe they have, for the first time, detected electrical activity in Mars’s atmosphere, suggesting the possible presence of lightning. The Perseverance rover, which arrived in 2021 to search for signs of past biological life, has spent four years exploring the Jezero Crater. It recorded the electrical discharges—dubbed “mini-lightning”—using audio and electromagnetic data captured by the SuperCam instrument. Researchers hope that deploying more sensitive cameras and new tools to measure atmospheric discharges will help confirm these observations.
French researchers analysed 28 hours of sound recorded by Nasa’s microphone over two Martian years—equivalent to 1,374 Earth days. They found that electrical discharges typically occur alongside dust devils and the fronts of dust storms. These devils are small columns of air formed by hot air rising from the surface, and their internal dynamics can generate electrical activity.
Baptiste Chide, the study’s lead author, told Reuters: «These discharges are a major discovery with direct implications for understanding the chemistry of the Martian atmosphere, its climate, its potential habitability, and future robotic and crewed missions.» He and his colleagues at France’s Institute for Astrophysics and Planetology believe Mars can now be classified among planets with confirmed atmospheric electrical activity, alongside Earth, Saturn and Jupiter.
Physicist Daniel Pritchard wrote in Nature that while the recordings «provide compelling evidence of dust-driven discharges», the fact that they were heard but not seen means «some uncertainty will remain over whether this was truly Martian lightning». Given the history of such research, he said, «the debate will likely continue for a long time».
In September, scientists identified rocks on Mars with unusual patterns. These structures, described as leopard spots and poppy seeds, contain minerals formed through chemical reactions that could, in theory, be linked to ancient microbes. The minerals may also result from ordinary geological processes, but Nasa said the features could be among the most obvious signs of life ever detected.
Today Mars is a cold, arid desert. But evidence suggests that billions of years ago it had a dense atmosphere and water, making it a promising place to search for traces of past life. Perseverance was sent to Jezero Crater because its characteristics indicated that the area might once have supported life—including signs of a delta formed during a period when liquid water still existed on Mars.