Space and Science

NASA Curiosity rover detects levels of Methane on Mars, hints at possibility of life

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has discovered "startlingly high amounts of methane in the Martian air", the source of methane however isn't clear.This can be seen as a significant move for life on the Red Planet. The quantities are still tiny at 21 parts per billion, but that's three times the amount Curiosity spotted during a surge in 2013, according to the New York Times. 

Due to output from living creatures Methane is often present in higher concentrations in the air on Earth. This is why scientists are working on more evidences to back up the theory that the gas is due to output from subterranean Martian microbes.

According to the New York Times, “Curiosity scientists developed a technique that enabled the rover to detect even tinier amounts of methane with its existing tools. The gas seems to rise and fall with the red planet’s seasons. A new analysis of old Mars Express readings confirmed Curiosity’s 2013 findings. One day after Curiosity reported a spike of methane, the orbiter, passing over Curiosity’s location, also measured a spike.”

“But the Trace Gas Orbiter, a newer European spacecraft launched in 2016 with more sensitive instruments, did not detect any methane at all in its first batch of scientific observations last year,” the report added. 

The rover has two Navcams and 17 cameras and it has been sending photographs continuously since it landed on the Red Planet in August 2012, nearly seven years ago.

Mysterious Disc-Shaped Orb Photo Taken By 'Nasa Rover Curiosity'

Curiosity rover has also released a photo that shows a mysterious, unexplained white light on Mars. The black-and-white raw image that was transmitted back to Earth was taken by the Curiosity rover's right “Navcam" (which acts as sort of an eye) on June 16, 2019 or Sol 2438.

The image shows, a disc-shaped orb which is white in colour (In Blue Circle) can be seen floating above the surface of Mars. However, experts revealed that the Curiosity Rover had captured similar illuminations in the past.

"One possibility is that the light is the glint from a rock surface reflecting the sun. When these images were taken each day, the sun was in the same direction as the bright spot, west-northwest from the rover, and relatively low in the sky," said NASA spokesperson in a statement to Dailymail.

Alien researcher Scott C Waring said that the light is an alien UFO.  "The white UFO was seen in the most recent photo taken by the NASA rover. The UFO in the distance is watching the Mars rover...studying this primitive device. I wonder if this is the closest, they have come to the rover, or have they actually physically touched it in any way. I have seen many white glowing lights on Mars, but never one hovering and never one the shape of disk. This is new to me. I need to dig deeper into the photos to see if it’s been caught in any other photos. I would love to see this closer and at a different angle," wrote Waring on his website.