NASA’s InSight lander reveals new details about the Mars strange magnetic field. Researchers studying the red planet discovered that the Martian magnetic field is about 10 times stronger than previously thought. Not only that but Martian magnetic field fluctuates over time-scales of seconds to days.
This study was recently published in Nature Geoscience.
Lead author Catherine Johnson, said,. “One of the big unknowns from previous satellite missions was what the magnetization looked like over small areas,” “By placing the first magnetic sensor at the surface, we have gained valuable new clues about the interior structure and upper atmosphere of Mars that will help us understand how it — and other planets like it — formed.”
NASA’s InSight lander, a stationary robotic explorer has been on the Red Planet for a little over a year now. With the goal to study Maritian interior, and to study how rocky planets expand and evolve by examining their interior.
It is a first Mars robot to be outfitted with a magnetic sensor. Magnetic sensor allows it to study Mars’ magnetic field in detail. Observations from InSight also revealed that the sun influences the Martian magnetic field.
