Dust storms on Mars are accompanied by lightning discharges, for the first time revealed signs of electrical discharges on the planet with a new detector that is installed on a terrestrial radio system, Deep Space Networ.

Although scientists have been virtually assured of the existence of lightning on Mars, to detect them using direct observation has not yet succeeded. Only now, the new detector installed on a 34-meter radio telescope, scientists were able to make it clear that Dusty storm on Mars On 8 June 2006 was accompanied by lightning discharges that had lasted for several hours.

“Lightning level on Mars is unlikely to appear as usual as many of lightning. Rather, they are likely accompanied by scattered illumination in the dust”, – said Christopher Raf, developer of the new detector.

Storm accompanied by lightning discharges, raised great clouds of dust in the Martian atmosphere, which reached a height of 35 kilometers. Nevertheless, scientists believe that lightning level occur in a much more modest storms.

The detection of lightning discharges on Mars created a new wave of debate about the existence of past life on Mars, as well as one of the concepts of origin of life on Earth involves the active participation of lightning. According to laboratory experiments conducted in the middle of last century, lightning level in the saturated vapors of ammonia and methane atmosphere of early Earth could lead to the formation of complex organic compounds that could form the basis of all life.