NASA’s InSight lander detected an unexplained hum on Mars at 2.4 hertz, higher than Earth’s natural sounds. While seismic activity and winds are common on Mars, scientists are unsure of the cause of the hum. The lander has collected hundreds of earthquake readings, helping NASA understand Mars better. Mars contains channels in the rock that suggest water was present in the past, and it has two moons, Phobos and Deimos.
Mankind sent a drone (well, a robotic lander) to Mars, and now it looks like Mars is sending us a drone. That “drone” is actually a low drone that was detected by NASA’s InSight lander, which landed on the red planet in November 2018.
While taking readings that helped us figure out what geological activity is happening on Mars, the lander also detected an unexplained hum — a seismic signal — that continues unabated. The hum sounds at 2.4 hertz, which is considerably higher than Earth’s natural sounds, such as waves crashing on ocean shores.
While there’s plenty of seismic activity on Mars and winds tearing apart the mostly barren planet at incredible speeds, scientists don’t necessarily think they’re causing the buzz. “It’s extremely puzzling,” said Bruce Banerdt, NASA’s principal mission investigator. “We don’t have a shared idea of what it is.”
The lander is located in an ancient crater filled with sand and dust and has collected hundreds of “earthquake” readings since it arrived at the surface. Mars is cooling at a very fast rate and as it cools and contracts, earthquakes are common. All the data is helping NASA get a clearer picture of Earth’s neighbor.
“It’s just super exciting to see some of these things and that we’re trying to understand Mars,” said Suzanne Smrekar, the mission’s deputy principal investigator.
More on Mars:
While no water has been found on Mars, the planet contains channels in the rock that scientists say could only have been formed by water at some time in the past.
Mars currently has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, though Phobos is expected to be pulled into the planet and destroyed within the next 50 million years.
Mars is called the “red planet” because its ground is covered in iron-rich dust, which appears red.
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