Subj : Daily APOD Report To : All From : Ben Ritchey Date : Mon Apr 22 2019 10:22:11 Astronomy Picture of the Day Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2019 April 22 Mars Methane Mystery Deepens Video Credit: NASA [2] 's GSFC [3] , Scientific Visualization Studio [4] Explanation: The methane mystery on Mars just got stranger. New results [5] from ESA [6] and Roscosmos [7] ' ExoMars [8] Trace Gas Orbiter [9] , has unexpectedly not detected methane in the atmosphere of Mars [10] . This result follows the 2013 detection of methane by NASA [11] 's Curiosity rover [12] , a result seemingly confirmed [13] by ESA's orbiting Mars [14] Express [15] the next day. The issue is so interesting [16] because life is a major producer of methane on Earth, leading to intriguing speculation that some sort of life -- possibly microbial life [17] -- is creating methane beneath the surface of Mars [18] . Non-biological sources of methane [19] are also possible. Pictured [20] is a visualization of the first claimed methane plume over Mars as detected from Earth in 2003. The new non-detection of methane by the ExoMars Orbiter [21] could mean that Mars has some unexpected way of destroying methane, or that only some parts of Mars release methane [22] -- and possibly only at certain times. As the mystery [23] has now deepened, humanity's scrutiny [24] of our neighboring planet [25] 's atmosphere will deepen as well. Tomorrow's picture: meteor sky ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- < [26] | Archive [27] | Submissions [28] | Index [29] | Search [30] | Calendar [31] | RSS [32] | Education [33] | About APOD [34] | Discuss [35] | > [36] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [37] (MTU [38] ) & Jerry Bonnell [39] (UMCP [40] ) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply [41] . NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices [42] A service of: ASD [43] at NASA [44] / GSFC [45] & Michigan Tech. U. [46] ---------- Site notes: [1] archivepix.html [2] https://www.nasa.gov/ [3] https://www.nasa.gov/goddard [4] https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/ [5] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1096-4 [6] https://www.esa.int/ESA [7] http://en.roscosmos.ru/119/ [8] https://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Exploration/ ExoMars/What_is_ExoMars [9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExoMars_Trace_Gas_Orbiter [10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere_of_Mars#Methane [11] https://www.nasa.gov/ [12] https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/ [13] https://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Mars_Express/ Mars_Express_confirms_methane_in_the_Martian_atmosphere [14] https://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Mars_Express/The_mission [15] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Express [16] https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/10/science/mars-methane-life.html [17] https://www.whoi.edu/know-your-ocean/ocean-topics/ocean-life/microbial-life/ [18] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/mars/overview/ [19] ap141222.html [20] https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3574 [21] http://exploration.esa.int/mars/46475-trace-gas-orbiter/ [22] ap090119.html [23] https://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Exploration/ ExoMars/The_methane_mystery [24] https://timedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/ 1952_00129471.jpg?quality=85&w=743 [25] ap160529.html [26] ap190421.html [27] archivepix.html [28] lib/apsubmit2015.html [29] lib/aptree.html [30] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search [31] calendar/allyears.html [32] /apod.rss [33] lib/edlinks.html [34] lib/about_apod.html [35] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=190422 [36] ap190423.html [37] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html [38] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ [39] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html [40] http://www.astro.umd.edu/ [41] lib/about_apod.html#srapply [42] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html [43] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ [44] https://www.nasa.gov/ [45] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ [46] http://www.mtu.edu/ --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A43 (Windows/32) * Origin: FIDONet - The Positronium Repository (1:393/68) .