--- title: "Scientists Detect Green Glow on Mars" description: "Scientists have identified a green glow in the atmosphere of Mars caused by oxygen atoms being released from carbon dioxide due to sunlight." date: "2020-06-15" modified: "2020-06-15" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/green-glow-mars" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Mars" - "Science & Energy" - "Space" tags: - "ESA" - "exomars" - "mars" - "martian atmosphere" --- # Scientists Detect Green Glow on Mars ![Scientists have identified a green glow in the atmosphere of Mars caused by oxygen atoms being released from carbon dioxide due to sunlight.]() *\Image: ESA\* Scientists [have identified]() a green glow in the atmosphere of Mars caused by sunlight releasing oxygen atoms from carbon dioxide — the first time such a glow has been observed on a planet other than Earth. As oxygen is abundant in Earth's atmosphere, a similar one can be [observed from the International Space Station](). It's the same effect that gives auroras their green hue. "One of the brightest emissions seen on Earth stems from night glow," Jean-Claude Gérard of the Université de Liège, Belgium, and lead author of the [new study]() published in *Nature Astronomy* today, said in [a statement](). "More specifically, from oxygen atoms emitting a particular wavelength of light that has never been seen around another planet." Scientists have predicted this green glow to occur on Mars as well for roughly 40 years. Only now — thanks to the European Space Agency and Russian space agency Roscomos's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), which entered the Red Planet's orbit in 2016 — were we able to confirm the phenomenon. The researchers put the TGO in a special observing mode and pointed its instruments directly down at Mars. According to data collected between April and December of last year, they found evidence of the green oxygen glow in all altitudes ranging from 20 to 400 kilometers, with the strongest at 80 kilometers. "We modeled this emission and found that it’s mostly produced as carbon dioxide, or CO2, is broken up into its constituent parts: carbon monoxide and oxygen," Gérard explained. "We saw the resulting oxygen atoms glowing in both visible and ultraviolet light." "The observations at Mars agree with previous theoretical models but not with the actual glowing we’ve spotted around Earth, where the visible emission is far weaker," Gérard added. "This suggests we have more to learn about how oxygen atoms behave, which is hugely important for our understanding of atomic and quantum physics." The discovery could also prove helpful for future missions to Mars. For instance, studying the Martian atmosphere could tell us about atmospheric density and how it could interact with satellites and landers. **READ MORE:** [Mars: Green glow detected on the Red Planet]() \[*BBC*\] **More on Mars:** *[This Plan For a Martian City Under a Dome is Breathtaking]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()