NASA’s Perseverance rover, which spent nearly four years exploring the Jezero Crater region in an effort to identify biological traces, has made a groundbreaking discovery.
Since its landing in 2021, NASA’s Perseverance rover has recorded the first electrical storms in the Martian atmosphere.
The Martian atmosphere is more than 100 times thinner than Earth’s and is composed of carbon dioxide, nitrogen and argon.
Recordings from the rover’s SuperCam instrument picked up signals in the form of audio and electromagnetic data, dubbed “mini lightning.”
Scientists hope to confirm this discovery by sending advanced instruments and more sensitive cameras to Mars to spot atmospheric discharges.
A team of French scientists examined 28 hours of microphone recording data taken by NASA’s rover over two Martian years (the equivalent of 1,374 Earth days).
Research found that these electrical discharges typically occurred in conjunction with dust devils and dust storm fronts.
Dust devils can be described as these small whirlwinds powered by hot air rising from the surface, and the friction from their internal swirling motion can generate electrical discharges.
Dr Baptiste Chide, the lead author of the study, said Reuters“These dumps represent a major discovery, with direct implications for atmospheric chemistry, climate, habitability, and the future of robotic and human exploration on Mars.”
The study, carried out at the Institute for Research in Astrophysics and Planetology in France, appeared in the journal Nature on November 26, 2025.
Dr Baptiste and his team believe Mars now joins Earth, Saturn and Jupiter as planets known to have atmospheric electrical activity.
