WASHINGTON (Reuters) -NASA’s Perseverance rover has obtained evidence that the atmosphere of Mars is electrically active, detecting electrical discharges – what one scientist called “mini-lightning” – often associated with whirlwinds called dust devils that regularly saunter over the planet’s surface.

The six-wheeled rover, exploring Mars since 2021 at a locale called Jezero Crater in its northern hemisphere, picked up these electrical discharges in audio and electromagnetic recordings made by its SuperCam remote-sensing instrument, researchers said.

It is the first documentation of electrical activity in the thin Martian atmosphere.

“These discharges represent a major discovery, with direct implications for Martian atmospheric chemistry, climate, habitability and the future of robotic

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