Ministry of Earth Sciences Hosts National Media Interaction on 'Mission Mausam' The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) held a national-level media interaction on the ambitious Mission Mausam at Prithvi Bhavan, New Delhi. The session was led by Dr. M Ravichandran, Secretary of MoES, alongside Dr. Mritunjay Mohapatra, Director General of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), and Dr. V.S. Prasad, Head of the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF). Approved by the Union Cabinet on September 11, 2024, with a budget of ₹2,000 crores over two years, Mission Mausam aims to transform India into a "Weather-Ready" and "Climate-Smart" nation. The mission focuses on advancing the country's weather and climate observation, modeling, and forecasting capabilities, to provide more accurate and timely services. Key Objectives of Mission Mausam: Develop Cutting-Edge Technologies: Introduce next-generation radars, satellites with advanced instr...
Researchers delving into Mars' crustal magnetic field have made some fascinating discoveries. They found that the effects of this magnetic field are significantly stronger during the Martian day compared to the night, with little to no impact after sunset. Interestingly, these daytime effects remain constant regardless of the seasons or the distance between Mars and the Sun.
Understanding how Mars' crustal magnetic field interacts with its plasma environment is crucial. It provides insights into the planet's magnetic shielding, which could be vital for future robotic or human missions to the Red Planet.
Unlike Earth, Mars lacks a global magnetic field. Instead, it has scattered crustal magnetic fields concentrated in the southern hemisphere, specifically between 30°S latitude and 120°E to 240°E longitude. Researchers from the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG) have turned their attention from Earth’s magnetic field to planetary space plasma, exploring how these Martian crustal magnetic fields influence the ionosphere.
A team of scientists, including C Nayak, E Yiğit, B Remya, J Bulusu, S Devanandhan, S Singh, AP Dimri, and P Padhye, conducted a detailed study using nearly eight years of data from NASA's MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) satellite. They discovered that during the Martian day, these crustal magnetic fields exert a strong influence over the ionosphere in the southern hemisphere, a control that is generally absent in the northern hemisphere after dark. This day-night asymmetry vanishes when the Sun sets.
Crucially, this influence of crustal magnetic fields on the ionosphere is unaffected by seasonal changes or the Sun-Mars distance, as confirmed by the study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics. The insights gained from this research could prove invaluable for planning future missions to Mars.
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