What's behind the Martian methane mystery?

image via Space.com

September 11, 2024, 1:00 PM

• •Methane is relatively straightforward: It's just a carbon atom attached to four hydrogen atoms, and both of those elements are incredibly common in the universe.
• •Mars needs liquid water. Although the planet was once water-rich, as evidenced by the dried-up riverbeds and erosion, it's certainly very dry now.
• •The brief spikes of methane observed on Mars tend to follow the seasons, with late spring and early summer seeming to have the highest levels of atmospheric methane.

Mars has a lot of methane, and scientists don't know where it's coming from. One possibility is that it's produced by life deep underground.

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