Manganese oxides are thought to be a signature of atmospheric oxygen. But on the Red Planet, recent results suggest they might be more of a red herring.
Mars
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Unprecedented Constraint on the Martian Mesopause Temperature
The middle atmosphere of Mars is a critical region influenced by both waves from below and solar radiation from above, but until now there have been very few observational constraints on this region.
Posted inNews
Meteor Impact Could Inform Martian Mysteries
The impact sent surface waves rippling over the Martian surface all the way to NASA’s InSight lander, giving scientists a rare view of the planet’s outer layer.
Posted inNews
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Records the First Sounds of a Dust Devil on Mars
In a stroke of luck, the SuperCam microphone on Perseverance was turned on the moment a dust devil swept directly over the rover.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Long-Lived Lakes Reveal a History of Water on Mars
High-resolution imagery of newly discovered paleolakes shows a period of consistent liquid water flow.
Posted inNews
Martian Meteorites Offer a Tantalizing Glimpse of the Red Planet
By studying these literal chunks of Mars, scientists are learning more about the Red Planet’s deep interior and impact history.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Powerful Impact Provides Insight into Deep Structure of Mars
Seismic signals detected by the InSight lander show that the planet’s lower mantle may be less homogenous than previous models have suggested.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Ozone, Water Vapor and Temperature: It’s a Complex Relation
Solar occultation observations from the ACS/MIR instrument provide coincident profiles of O3, H2O and temperature, shedding light on correlations and unveiling knowledge gaps in Mars’s photochemistry.
Posted inNews
Unraveling the Mystery of a Rare Mineral on Mars
The discovery of tridymite in Mars’s Gale Crater triggered debate about the rare mineral’s origins. A research team recently suggested a scenario with explosive implications.
Posted inFeatures
11 Discoveries Awaiting Us at Solar Max
Each solar cycle might seem like the same old story, but one thing has changed significantly since the previous solar maximum–our technology.