InSight Lander Strikes Gold: Detecting Quakes on Mars Reveals Key Insights into the Planet's Core

Photo Source- Google.com

NASA's InSight Mars lander recently found two quakes on Mars surface that helped scientists figure the planet's core.

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They discovered that the core of Mars is smaller and much denser than they previously thought.

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InSight's seismometer detected seismic waves created by the quakes, which delivered the first direct observation of another planet's core.

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This discovery is considered as a stepping stone in Mars exploration and will be studied for many years to come.

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The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences.

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The core's nature is significant because it is responsible for the planet's magnetic field, which will influence whether life can exist on a planet or moon.

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InSight's Marsquake Service had improved its skills for over a year, making it easier to detect the two farside quakes.

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The quakes were also among the larger ones detected by InSight.

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The research suggests that Mars has a liquid iron alloy core at its center, with more sulfur and smaller fractions of oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen than previously known.

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Unlike Earth, 20% of the Martian core consists of elements lighter than iron.

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