First Map of Mars Electric Currents
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- Visualizations by:
- Cindy Starr
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- Scientific consulting by:
- Robin Ramstad
- View full credits
MAVEN data have enabled the first map of the electric current systems (blue and red arrows) that shape the induced magnetic field surrounding Mars.
Credit: NASA/Goddard/MAVEN/CU Boulder/SVS
Universal Production Music: “A Lucid Dream” and “Shimmer Oscillations” by James Joshua Otto
Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.
Complete transcript available.
Five years after NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft entered into orbit around Mars, data from the mission has led to the creation of a map of electric current systems in the Martian atmosphere. Unlike Earth, Mars lacks a protective global magnetic field to shield its upper atmosphere from the solar wind. Instead, the solar wind crashes into the upper atmosphere and its magnetic field lines drape around the planet. This creates an induced magnetosphere that tugs on charged particles in the Mars upper atmosphere, generating electric currents. Now, MAVEN’s detailed measurements of the magnetic environment surrounding Mars have revealed the shape of these electric currents for the first time.
Read the science paper in Nature Astronomy.
In this data visualization, the yellow arrow at upper left shows the direction of the solar wind at Mars, while cyan lines depict the solar wind magnetic field observed by MAVEN. Blue and red arrows indicate the direction of electric currents in the Mars upper atmosphere, which were derived from several years of MAVEN data. These currents provide structure for the magnetic environment surrounding Mars, including the solar wind bow shock (gray outer paraboloid) and the Mars induced magnetosphere (green inner paraboloid).
Credit: NASA/Goddard/MAVEN/CU Boulder/SVS
For More Information
See the following sources:
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard/MAVEN/CU Boulder/SVS
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Animators
- Chris Smith (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
- John Blackwell (LPI)
- Jonathan North (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
- Walt Feimer (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
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Data visualizers
- Cindy Starr (Global Science and Technology, Inc.) [Lead]
- Greg Shirah (NASA/GSFC)
- Horace Mitchell (NASA/GSFC)
- Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.)
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Science writer
- William Steigerwald (NASA/GSFC)
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Editor
- Dan Gallagher (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
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Scientists
- Robin Ramstad (University of Colorado Boulder) [Lead]
- David Brain (University of Colorado Boulder)
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Producer
- Dan Gallagher (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
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Videographer
- John Caldwell (Advocates in Manpower Management, Inc.)
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Support
- Bruce Jakosky (LASP)
- Tom Mason (LASP)
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Technical support
- Aaron E. Lepsch (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
Missions
This visualization is related to the following missions:Series
This visualization can be found in the following series:Related Pages
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ID: 13485 Produced Video
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Read moreBy measuring windspeed and direction in the Mars upper atmosphere, MAVEN has discovered that high-altitude wind currents are being disturbed by terrain features far below.Credit: NASA/Goddard/MAVEN/CU Boulder/University of MichiganUniversal Production Music: “Glacial Shifts” by James Joshua OttoWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || FACEBOOK_720_13485_Mars_Upper_Winds_MASTER_facebook_720.mp4 (1280x720) [216.5 MB] || 13485_MarsUpperWinds_Preview_print.jpg (1024x576) [77.9 KB] || 13485_MarsUpperWinds_Preview.jpg (3840x2160) [399.6 KB] || 13485_MarsUpperWinds_Preview_searchweb.png (320x180) [57.6 KB] || 13485_MarsUpperWinds_Preview_thm.png (80x40) [4.8 KB] || CH28_13485_Mars_Upper_Winds_MASTER_ch28.mov (1280x720) [1.8 GB] || TWITTER_720_13485_Mars_Upper_Winds_MASTER_twitter_720.mp4 (1280x720) [37.3 MB] || 13485_Mars_Upper_Winds_MASTER.webm (960x540) [78.1 MB] || 13485_Mars_Upper_Winds_MASTER.mov (3840x2160) [19.2 GB] || 13485_Mars_Upper_Winds_YouTube.mp4 (3840x2160) [2.0 GB] || 13485_Mars_Upper_Winds_Captions.en_US.srt [4.2 KB] || 13485_Mars_Upper_Winds_Captions.en_US.vtt [4.2 KB] ||
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ID: 20201 Animation
Mars Transition
Read moreBillions of years ago when the Red Planet was young, it appears to have had a thick atmosphere that was warm enough to support oceans of liquid water – a critical ingredient for life. The animation shows how the surface of Mars might have appeared during this ancient clement period, beginning with a flyover of a Martian lake. The artist's concept is based on evidence that Mars was once very different. Rapidly moving clouds suggest the passage of time, and the shift from a warm and wet to a cold and dry climate is shown as the animation progresses. The lakes dry up, while the atmosphere gradually transitions from Earthlike blue skies to the dusty pink and tan hues seen on Mars today. ||
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ID: 11037 Produced Video
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Read moreWhen you take a look at Mars, you probably wouldn't think that it looks like a nice place to live. It's dry, it's dusty, and there's practically no atmosphere. But some scientists think that Mars may have once looked like a much nicer place to live, with a thicker atmosphere, cloudy skies, and possibly even liquid water flowing over the surface. So how did Mars transform from a warm, wet world to a cold, barren desert? NASA's MAVEN spacecraft will give us a clearer idea of how Mars lost its atmosphere (and thus its water), and scientists think that several processes have had an impact.Learn more about these processes in the videos below! ||
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ID: 11224 Produced Video
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Read moreWhen you navigate with a compass you can orient yourself thanks to Earth's global magnetic field. But on Mars, if you were to walk around with a compass it would haphazardly point from one anomaly to another, because the Red Planet does not possess a global magnetosphere. Scientists think that this lack of a protective magnetic field may have allowed the solar wind to strip away the Martian atmosphere over billions of years, and now NASA's MAVEN spacecraft will study this process in detail with its pair of ring core fluxgate magnetometers. ||
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ID: 4730 Visualization
MAVEN – Mars Electric Current Systems
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ID: 4824 Visualization
MAVEN Observes Solar Particle Velocities and the Induced Magnetic Field
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ID: 4825 Visualization
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ID: 20302 Animation
Mars Wind Currents Reveal a Surprising Feature - Animations
Read moreBy measuring windspeed and direction in the Mars upper atmosphere, MAVEN has discovered that high-altitude wind currents are being disturbed by terrain features far below. || 20302_MarsUpperWinds_Preview_print.jpg (1024x576) [131.1 KB] || 20302_MarsUpperWinds_Preview.jpg (3840x2160) [676.6 KB] || 20302_MarsUpperWinds_Preview_searchweb.png (320x180) [86.0 KB] || 20302_MarsUpperWinds_Preview_thm.png (80x40) [6.4 KB] || YOUTUBE_1080_MAVEN_Mars_Terrain_Winds_youtube_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [135.6 MB] || FACEBOOK_720_MAVEN_Mars_Terrain_Winds_facebook_720.mp4 (1280x720) [104.1 MB] || TWITTER_720_MAVEN_Mars_Terrain_Winds_twitter_720.mp4 (1280x720) [16.4 MB] || MAVEN_Mars_Terrain_Winds.webm (960x540) [39.0 MB] || frames/3840x2160_16x9_60p/ (3840x2160) [256.0 KB] || MAVEN_Mars_Terrain_Winds.mov (3840x2160) [10.6 GB] || YOUTUBE_4K_MAVEN_Mars_Terrain_Winds_youtube_4k.mp4 (3840x2160) [595.8 MB] ||
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ID: 4414 Visualization
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ID: 4370 Visualization
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ID: 20213 Animation
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Read moreThese animations depict MAVEN's arrival at Mars on September 21, 2014, and the ensuing science instrument deployments. The animations begin with MAVEN's orbital insertion engine burn near the Martian north pole. The deployments include MAVEN's LPW, SWEA and APP instruments. ||
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ID: 4190 Visualization
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