For decades, the possibility of lightning crackling across the dusty plains of Mars has teased planetary scientists. While the Red Planet’s swirling dust devils and fierce storms have been well documented by orbiters and rovers, definitive proof of electrical activity—actual lightning—remained elusive. Now, in a landmark discovery, an international team led by Baptiste Chide from France’s Institute for Research in Astrophysics and Planetology has announced the first direct detection of lightning on Mars, captured by the sensitive microphone aboard NASA’s Perseverance rover.
The findings, published November 26, 2025, in the journal Nature, are the result of painstaking analysis of 28 hours of audio and electrical recordings gathered by Perseverance’s SuperCam microphone. The rover, which has been exploring an ancient river delta since its landing in February 2021, has provided scientists with a wealth of soundscapes from the Martian surface. But it was the distinctive crackling—akin to static electricity on Earth—amidst the whistling winds and pelting dust that caught researchers’ attention.
According to the Associated Press, the team documented 55 instances of what they describe as “mini lightning” over two Martian years (nearly four Earth years). These electrical arcs, just inches in size, occurred within two meters (about six feet) of the rover’s microphone, perched atop its tall mast. The events almost exclusively coincided with the windiest Martian days, particularly during dust storms and the planet’s infamous dust devils.
“It opens a completely new field of investigation for Mars science,” Chide told The Independent, highlighting the possible chemical effects such electrical discharges could have on the Martian atmosphere and surface. “It’s like finding a missing piece of the puzzle.”
Dust devils on Mars form as warm air near the surface rises and begins to rotate, creating columns of swirling dust. Unlike Earth, where tornadoes require a much thicker atmosphere, Mars’ thin, carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere cannot support such large-scale storms. But the friction between dust particles in these devils and storms builds up electric charges, much like rubbing a balloon on your hair. Occasionally, that charge releases as a zap—lightning, albeit on a much smaller scale than the bolts we’re used to seeing on Earth.
“It’s like a thunderstorm on Earth, but barely visible with the naked eye and with plenty of faint zaps,” Chide explained in an email to The Independent. The study noted that while electrical discharges generated by fast-moving dust devils lasted just a few seconds, those arising from broader dust storms could persist for as long as 30 minutes.
The Martian atmosphere itself plays a curious role. Its thinness and composition—mostly carbon dioxide—mean that sound is easily absorbed. As a result, many of the detected zaps were barely perceptible, even to Perseverance’s sensitive equipment. Still, the audible sparks stood out amid the constant barrage of wind gusts and dust particles striking the microphone.
For scientists, this discovery is the culmination of more than 50 years of searching for electrical activity on Mars. As BBC and AP report, earlier missions like NASA’s Viking landers in the 1970s observed dust devils, and a 2009 study hinted at electrical discharges during dust storms. Yet, until now, no mission had captured direct, unambiguous evidence—especially in the form of sound.
Cardiff University’s Daniel Mitchard, who was not involved in the study, commented in Nature that the evidence is “strong and persuasive,” but also cautioned that it’s based on a single instrument not originally intended to detect lightning. “It really is a chance discovery to hear something else going on nearby, and everything points to this being Martian lightning,” Mitchard said in an email to AP. Still, he added, “I think there will still be a debate from some scientists as to whether this really was lightning” until future missions bring more specialized sensors to Mars.
Lightning has already been confirmed on gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn, but Mars has long remained a tantalizing question mark. Chide’s team’s approach—listening for the acoustic signatures of electrical discharges—may well inspire a new wave of research and instrument development. “It’s like finding a missing piece of the puzzle,” Chide noted, emphasizing the potential for these findings to reshape our understanding of Martian weather and atmospheric chemistry.
What does this mean for future missions, especially those involving humans? The researchers caution that while the odds of an astronaut being struck by a lightning bolt on Mars are “extremely unlikely”—as Mitchard wrote in Nature—the frequent, small static discharges could pose risks for sensitive electronics and equipment. “A better understanding of these discharges will help to protect future explorers (robots or astronauts) from their effects,” the study authors wrote in Nature.
Indeed, the discovery comes as Perseverance continues its primary mission: scouring the ancient river delta for clues to past microbial life and collecting rock samples for eventual return to Earth. NASA’s ambitious plan to retrieve these samples is currently on hold as the agency explores more cost-effective options, but the rover’s ongoing science operations continue to yield surprises—like the faint, fleeting zaps of Martian lightning.
It’s worth remembering that Perseverance’s SuperCam microphone was designed to capture the sounds of the rover’s laser zapping rocks, not to eavesdrop on the planet’s electrical secrets. As AP notes, this serendipitous discovery adds to a growing library of Martian audio, which already includes the crunch of rover wheels and the whirring blades of the now-retired Ingenuity helicopter.
With each new find, Mars becomes a little less mysterious—and yet, as this latest discovery proves, the Red Planet still has plenty of surprises in store for those willing to listen closely.
