This hum is just one of the mysteries and discoveries which is detected by NASA’s insight lander. Under it rigid and dusty surface the mars is humming. The quiet constant noise in form of drone periodically pulses with the beat of quakes rippling throughout the planet, but where this alien music usually comes from still remain unknown.
The sources of noise which are able to disturb the acquisition of seismic signal are limited on mars unlike the earth. The planet does not have ocean or sea. A big source of noise on our own planet. There is no human activity available either. Yet the work of the insight probe seismometer will be complicated by the atmosphere of the Martian.
The relationship of the Martian atmosphere with its surface will leave behind a trace on seismic records. For a first assumption, this phenomenon may be negatively seen as the origin of the disturbance of which nothing can be done about. Atmospheric activities posses other indirect effects which are difficult to vote offset. They are divided into two major parts:
Constant Hum In Mars:
The first one is due to the world atmospheric circulation. Constantly flowing around mars. The planet vibrates like a bell at precise frequencies as a result of being excites by the martian air. This is referred to as mars hum by the Geophysicists, only Seismic sensitive to long period of time can hear the constant buzz. Despite being considered as an interfering noise from the background, it is of great interests to the geophysicist because it can also be used to probe the uppermost layers of the planet from a depth of much dozens of meters down to several of hundreds of kilometres(providing information on the mantle) even in situation where there are no quakes.
Impressive dust storms that completely envelope mars in an opaque, impenetrate veils, are some large scale weather events that are likely to make mars vibrate significantly. SEIS is always ready to the hum that resulted.
The recent global dust storm took place in 2007, and it occur roughly after every three mars years as a repetitive event. During global storm, the continuous draping sunshine and the significant accumulation of dust on the solar arrays could result in a lander, but insight has been developed to survive such a scenerio which is disastrous.
The name of the robot who made the discovery is insight lander during the process of using a seismometer tool to measures mass earthquake. When it carried up the inner hum of the red planet. The lander at that times was also said to have registered more than 400 quakes, which is a confirmation that mars has quakes just like planet earth.
Source: ABC News