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Mars methane mysteriously missing
SyFy Wire ^ | 12/29/2020 | Phil Plait

Posted on 12/29/2020 8:53:26 PM PST by BenLurkin

For many years, planetary scientists have been tracking a Martian ghost: methane gas.

It was first seen by ground-based observations of Mars back in the 2000s, then subsequently by spacecraft orbiting the Red Planet. But these observations barely detected it, and have been called into question time and again. There's been much debate, and some of the claims have been contradictory

So the European Space Agency sent a probe to Mars called the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, equipped with a device on it called the Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery, or NOMAD*. It can look for many different gases, including methane, in the Martian atmosphere in a variety of ways.

Despite looking very hard for Martian methane over a long period of time, none was found. They also looked for ethane and ethylene, slightly more complex molecules similar to methane, and found none. The best they do was report upper limits (meaning, their observations would've seen these molecules had they been more abundant than the numbers reported). These limits are low: For methane, there was no more than 0.06 parts per billion when measured by volume (like having 60 liters of methane in a cube a kilometer on a side). Ethane and ethylene couldn't have been more abundant than 0.1 and 0.7 parts per billion, either.

...

So does this rule out methane on Mars? Well, yes and no. This is certainly a very strong constraint on it. Any methane produced by, say, an underground pocket getting popped open would show a strong local signal for a month or so, but then would get mixed around the atmosphere. Since they didn't see any, that means any source like this would have to be pretty sporadic.

(Excerpt) Read more at syfy.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy
KEYWORDS: mars; marsmethane; methane
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To: Night Hides Not

Saw what they did to Virginia, I think the Zags are the real deal this year, they may run the table.


21 posted on 12/29/2020 9:29:14 PM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: BenLurkin
The Martians are now trapping the methane due to Martian Warming.


22 posted on 12/29/2020 9:32:54 PM PST by UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide (White Privilege does NOT begin with Being White but when you ACT "WHITE"! So, -- ACT "WHITE"!)
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To: Night Hides Not

Partner, great line and comeback.>
23 posted on 12/29/2020 10:21:24 PM PST by TheConservativeTejano (The Business of America is Business...)
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To: JennysCool

You read the book?


24 posted on 12/29/2020 10:35:23 PM PST by Harmless Teddy Bear (Dear Clare, The awkward time is almost over. Love, Normal Americans)
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To: BenLurkin

[[Mars methane mysteriously missing]]

No mystery- Eric Swallwell has it all


25 posted on 12/29/2020 10:42:41 PM PST by Bob434
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To: noiseman
Guilty conscience, huh? C'mon, come clean and it'll go easy on ya. We know you swiped it!
26 posted on 12/29/2020 11:03:10 PM PST by jmacusa (If we're all equal how is diversity our strength?)
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To: JennysCool

At least NOMAD was (relatively) easily contained, unlike V-Ger...


27 posted on 12/29/2020 11:15:00 PM PST by Don W (When blacks riot, neighbourhoods and cities burn. When whites riot, nations and continents burn.)
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To: BenLurkin

Mars hardly has an atmosphere IIRC. Once again, IIRC, this is a function of Mars having next to no magnetic field to shield itself from incessant buffeting from the solar wind.


28 posted on 12/30/2020 1:29:00 AM PST by one guy in new jersey
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To: BenLurkin

Because Mars does not have a magnetic core, it cannot produce a magnetosphere which shields the planet from the charged particle of the solar wind. It is this solar wind that strips the planet of whatever atmosphere it may produce. Any plans for terraforming Mars are pipe dreams. The solar wind will strip away any atmosphere produced by terraforming—including methane—as quickly as it is produced.


29 posted on 12/30/2020 1:49:47 AM PST by jonrick46 ( Leftnicks chase illusions of motherships at the end of the pier.)
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To: jonrick46
You're right. In order to maintain an atmosphere a planet has to have a molten core. This produces a magnetosphere which hold the planets atmosphere in place.

However as the molten core cools down the magnetic field begins to weaken and the atmosphere begins to dissipate.

This is quite likely what has happened to Mars in it's distant past.

30 posted on 12/30/2020 10:35:14 PM PST by jmacusa (If we're all equal how is diversity our strength?)
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To: jmacusa
I don't think so much a molten core as an Iron core.

Earth's iron core spinning and passing through the magnetic field of the sun generates Earth's own magnetic field.

Mars could be too far away, too small of an iron core (if at all) or having the shit knocked out of it by another heavenly body, creating two moons, and stripping it of all atmosphere.

31 posted on 12/30/2020 10:50:55 PM PST by going hot
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To: going hot
But what produces the iron core? How is iron produced? Heat, wouldn't you say? This is the science I learned.
32 posted on 12/30/2020 11:03:49 PM PST by jmacusa (If we're all equal how is diversity our strength?)
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To: jmacusa
No, not the heat, not hot enough to "make " Iron.

The heat can in fact keep it molten. (pressure)

Perhaps while coalescing, or even after, the heavier stuff migrating to the middle over eons, Not sure if 100% iron, but definitely more dense elements, in proper percentage.

I don't know why so much iron, or how it got introduced into the system, not within my AO.

Regardless, passing an iron core through a magnetic field, while spinning, will produce electromagnetic fields.

33 posted on 12/30/2020 11:12:32 PM PST by going hot
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