QUOTE (SigurRosFan @ Feb 19 2006, 04:36 PM)
http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?showtopic=1833 -
More Martian Auroras, Hundreds of auroras detected on Mars Well pointed out Sig.
It's interesting to read the full ESA article and then the Berkely one.
Reading the ESA one I got the distinct impression that this was a "discovery" but they are careful to just say that they have found them with their instruments.
This UC Berkeley article referenced in your orignal article claims that they "discovered" them but it does point out that even though they were found in MGS data going back 5 years they didn't actually identify them until after they went looking following an ESA report of an auroral flash in June 2005.
Seems like a case where ESA are somewhat under selling themselves although it seems odd that they don't mention the fact that the MGS team found lots of examples too even though they do mention MGS as the source of the original magnetic anomoly detection that prompted the direct investigation.
One other interesting item in the Berkeley report is that the aurorae are clustered around the surface magnetic anomolies so they are not limited to the polar regions. It also mentions that they are probably mostly UV flashes so humans probably could never see them.