Mars has a huge, twisted tail and it could be destroying its atmosphere

The idea of a human colony on Mars in the future could remain a distant dream. In a development that could offer greater details about the Martian atmosphere, premiere US space agency NASA has discovered an invisible, twisted magnetic tail trailing behind Mars as it orbits the Sun. It's here that the invisible twist happens, which could also be pushing more of the already thin atmosphere on Mars out into space, as electrically charged ions in the planet's upper atmosphere respond to the magnetic field created by the tail. "Our model predicted that magnetic reconnection will cause the Martian magnetotail to twist 45 degrees from what's expected based on the direction of the magnetic field carried by the solar wind," says DiBraccio. The team believes that this magnetic reconnection could also be pushing more of the already thin atmosphere on Mars out into space, as electrically charged ions in the planet's upper atmosphere respond to the magnetic field created by the tail.