First detection of electrical discharges on Mars
Electrical discharges have been recorded within storms and dust devils that sweep across the surface of Mars. Captured for the first time by the microphone of the SuperCam instrument on board NASA’s Perseverance rover, these signals were analysed by a team of scientists from the CNRS, the University of Toulouse and the Paris Observatory – PSL as part of an international team. These discharges are a major discovery with direct implications for our understanding of atmospheric chemistry, climate, the habitability of the planet, and future robotic and manned explorations. These results appear in the journal Nature on 26 November 2025.
Martian dust devils and dust storms generate electrical discharges, confirmed for the first time by analysis of sound recordings from the Perseverance rover’s SuperCam microphone.
These discharges in the Martian atmosphere can produce highly oxidising compounds, which are potentially destructive to organic molecules on the surface and many atmospheric compounds.
This breakthrough is a major discovery with immediate implications for the chemistry of the atmosphere, the climate and the habitability of the planet, as well as for the preparation of future robotic and manned missions to Mars.
On Mars, winds constantly stir up swirls of fine dust. It was at the heart of two of these dust devils that the microphone of the SuperCam instrument, the first microphone operating on Mars, accidentally recorded particularly intense signals. Analyses carried out by scientists from the Institute for Research in Astrophysics and Planetology (CNES/CNRS/ University of Toulouse) and the Atmospheres and Space Observations Laboratory (CNRS/Sorbonne University/University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines) revealed that they result from the electromagnetic and acoustic signature of electrical discharges, comparable to the small static shocks we experience on Earth when touching a door handle in dry weather. Long theorised, the existence of electrical discharges in the Martian atmosphere has now been confirmed for the first time by observation.
These phenomena can be explained by the friction between tiny dust particles: they become charged with electrons and then release their charges in the form of electric arcs several centimetres long, accompanied by audible shock waves. On Earth, the electrification of dust particles is well known, particularly in desert regions, but it rarely results in actual discharges. On Mars, the thin atmosphere, composed mainly of carbon dioxide, makes this phenomenon much more likely: the amount of charge required to form sparks is much lower than on Earth.
The discovery of these electrical discharges profoundly changes our understanding of Martian atmospheric chemistry. These phenomena show that the Martian atmosphere can reach sufficient charge levels to accelerate the formation of highly oxidising compounds. These substances are capable of destroying organic molecules present on the surface as well as numerous atmospheric compounds, profoundly disrupting the photochemical balance of the atmosphere. This discovery could explain the surprisingly rapid disappearance of methane, a subject of scientific debate for several years.
The electrical charges required for discharges are likely to influence dust transport on Mars, playing a central role in the Martian climate, the processes of which remain largely unknown. They could also pose a risk to the electronic equipment of current robotic missions and constitute a danger to potential future manned missions.
The microphone on NASA’s Perseverance rover’s SuperCam instrument recorded the very first Martian sounds in 2021, the day after it landed on Mars. Turned on daily, it has collected more than 30 hours of sounds from the Red Planet: the sound of the wind, the noise of the blades of the Ingenuity helicopter and, more recently, electrical discharges. This new observation confirms the full potential of acoustics as a tool for planetary exploration.
More
Bibliography
Detection of triboelectric discharges during dust events on Mars. Baptiste Chide, Ralph D. Lorenz, Franck Montmessin, Sylvestre Maurice, Yann Parot, Ricardo Hueso, German Martinez, Alvaro Vicente-Retortillo, Xavier Jacob, Mark Lemmon, Bruno Dubois, Pierre-Yves Meslin, Claire Newman, Tanguy Bertrand, Grégoire Deprez, Daniel Toledo, Agustin Sánchez-Lavega, Agnès Cousin, Roger C. Wiens. Nature, Novembre 26, 2025.
Contacts
Baptiste Chide, IRAP •
Source: CNRS Presse.
