NASA Claims the Red Planet has 10 Times Stronger Magnetic Field than Expected

Earth has a magnetic field that plays a critical role in the existence of life. The magnetic field protects the planet from the adverse effects of the solar wind. But the same is not the case with our neighboring planet Mars. Though the red planet has its own magnetic field, it is significantly lower in magnitude than that of Earth. But, recently, NASA claimed that the magnetic field of Mars is ten times stronger than the previous expectation. NASA recently got these inputs from its InSight lander, which makes it credible enough to trust. But, still, the magnetic field strength of the planet is far lower than that of the Earth.

InSight lander in Detail

As the name suggests, InSight lander is not a rover by any means. In fact, it is a modern lander, which is static on the Martian surface. The InSight lander landed on the red planet surface about 18 months ago. The lander primarily has a couple of goals to achieve. Firstly, it will analyze the interior structure of Mars to get an insight into the formation of rocky planets. Secondly, it will figure out the tectonic activities on Mars, and the effects of meteorites on the tectonic activities.

First of a Kind Initiative

This was the first significant move to measure the strength of the Mars magnetic field and its seismic activities. Previously, all the available data were measured from the satellites revolving around the red planet.

Previously, like Earth, Mars also had a magnetic field. But, around four billion years ago, Mars surprisingly lost its magnetic field. Scientists could not be able to reach a conclusion on this topic yet. Many scientists believe that the unfortunate event happened as the core stopped functioning. But, several others believe that it was due to the impacts of the massive asteroid on the Martian surface.