Perseverance Records First In-Situ Evidence of Lightning-Like Events on Red Planet Mars
Rover records electrical discharges in Martian atmosphere.
NASA’s Perseverance rover has achieved a historic first by detecting actual electrical discharges – dubbed “mini lightning” – within Mars’ thin atmosphere, confirming that lightning-like events can indeed occur on the Red Planet. The breakthrough was announced in a study published November 26, 2025, in the journal Nature, marking the first in-situ evidence of such atmospheric electricity.
Using its SuperCam instrument’s microphone and electromagnetic sensors, Perseverance recorded 55 distinct triboelectric events over two Martian years. These sharp acoustic pops and electromagnetic spikes were most frequently associated with swirling dust devils and the turbulent fronts of planet-wide dust storms – natural phenomena known to generate massive static charge separation similar to thunderstorm clouds on Earth.
The study reveals that Martian electric fields can reach the critical breakdown threshold of several tens of kilovolts per metre, overcoming the planet’s low-pressure CO₂-dominated atmosphere to produce brief but intense discharges. Scientists describe the phenomenon as the Martian equivalent of tiny lightning bolts, though far weaker and shorter-lived than terrestrial storms.
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The findings dramatically reshape our understanding of Mars’ atmospheric physics and open new questions about the planet’s weather systems. Researchers now advocate for future missions to carry specialised electric-field detectors and ultra-high-speed cameras capable of visually confirming these elusive sparks amid the rust-coloured haze.
Landing in Jezero Crater in 2021 to search for signs of ancient life, Perseverance continues to exceed expectations. This latest discovery adds another layer to Mars’ dynamic portrait – a world not only of ancient rivers and lakes, but also of dust-charged skies capable of producing nature’s most electrifying spectacle.
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