NASA Detects Zwan-Wolf Effect 200 Kilometers Inside Mars's Atmosphere
Updated
Updated · Moneycontrol · May 19
NASA Detects Zwan-Wolf Effect 200 Kilometers Inside Mars's Atmosphere
4 articles · Updated · Moneycontrol · May 19
MAVEN found the Zwan-Wolf effect in Mars's ionosphere about 200 kilometers above the surface, marking the first detection of the phenomenon inside any planetary atmosphere.
December 2023 data showed magnetic-field "wiggles" that scientists traced to a powerful solar storm compressing charged particles along magnetic structures in the Martian atmosphere.
Mars's lack of a global magnetic field lets solar particles interact more directly with its atmosphere, unlike Earth where the effect occurs in surrounding space and helps deflect solar wind.
NASA said the finding broadens understanding of Martian space weather and could help explain how the planet's atmosphere is being reshaped and gradually lost to space.
Since Mars's atmosphere is being compressed, could the same be happening on Venus or Titan?
How will this newly found atmospheric ‘squeeze’ threaten the first human outposts on Mars?
Is this atmospheric compression the key to why ancient, watery Mars became a desert?
Unprecedented MAVEN Failure and the Zwan-Wolf Effect: How Plasma Squeezing May Accelerate Mars’s Atmospheric Loss
Overview
Since December 2025, the MAVEN mission has faced major challenges, including the sudden loss of communication during a radio science campaign. This marked the first time NASA physically lost a spacecraft orbiting another planet. Despite this, MAVEN had already operated well beyond its planned mission, providing valuable data on Mars’s atmosphere. The team is now analyzing recovered data to understand what happened and is assembling a review board to investigate the loss. These efforts are crucial, as MAVEN’s data is key for studying Martian atmospheric changes and phenomena like the Zwan-Wolf effect.