Mars experienced a meteor shower last month caused by comet Siding Spring. Consolidated data from NASA satellites orbiting Mars shows the comet directly affected the Martian atmosphere and contributed to a rise in the layer of ions in the upper atmosphere.

As Siding Spring flew by Mars on October 19, NASA's MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) detected an unusual change in the level ions in the ionophere due to fallout from the comet. This is the first time scientists witnessed this atmospheric ionization caused by a passing comet.

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As dust and debris from the comet burned up when it entered Mars' atmosphere, it instantly produced a meteor shower. This meteor dust had a direct impact on and greatly affected Mars' atmosphere. 

As the comet's dust bombarded the atmosphere, it also created a dense ionospheric layer and it ultimately changed the chemistry of the upper atmosphere, said Jim Green, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division. Green noted that NASA was taken by surprise by the amount of meteor dust ejected by Siding Spring.

NASA moved its MAVEN probe away from the path of the comet to prevent damage from the meteor shower. Green is relieved with their decision to move MAVEN to the other side of Mars, away from the peak of the meteor tail, so it could be out of harm's way.

During the comet's flyby, MAVEN's Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph detected the comet's huge effect on the planet as there was an ultraviolet increase caused by magnesium and iron ions. This UV spike peaked for two hours after the comet passed, and faded away after two days.

Unfortunately, NASA didn't capture any images of this meteor shower but issued an artist's visualization instead.

TagsWhy did Mars' Atmosphere Changed When a Comet Passed By, NASA, ESA, MAVEN, MRO, Mars, Siding Spring comet, comet meteor shower dust storm mars atmosphere