Cosmic Journeys: The Asteroid that Flattened Mars

Here is a fascinating and well written documentary all about Mars, mars missions, and evidence pointing to a huge asteroid as the cause for the eventual disappearance of its magnetic field. Great video with stunning visuals and important research!

No magnetic field.
Sorry never heard of that fact.
I would think every planet had a magnetic field.
I'll have to rethink my cosmology and go with the electric field
as governing the universe.

Originally posted by TrueAmerican
Here is a fascinating and well written documentary all about Mars, mars missions, and evidence pointing to a huge asteroid as the cause for the eventual disappearance of its magnetic field.

What evidence?

It's not well written, it doesn't even provide any evidence.

It mentions "alternate theories" about why the magnetic field may have disappeared but doesn't even say what they are, that's a sign of a poorly written piece.
I don't think anyone doubts that early Earth and early Mars were both hit by giant asteroids, so if it was done by impacts, why did the impacts only eradicate the magnetic field on Mars and not on Earth? No explanation of this discrepancy is given, and the alternate theories DO explain why Earth still has a magnetic field and Mars doesn't.

For example this article makes much more sense:

Did an asteroid kill Mars' magnetic field?

"Earth probably took the same kind of punishment," Roberts said. "But it's primarily a function of size. Earth has more than 10 times more heat than Mars, and much more vigorous convection."

I say both Earth and Mars were hit with many impactors, Mars lost most of its magnetic field far more rapidly than the Earth did. But I also submit the same thing would have happened even if both planets had been spared the asteroid impacts. Mars still would have lost its magnetic field for exactly the same reason, it's a matter of size. The mass to surface area of Mars is much different resulting in more rapid cooling.

In fact I would even go so far as to say the opposite of this video's claim might be true, that asteroid impacts might have actually extended the time that the Martian magnetic field existed versus a no impact scenario. Why? Because a molten core is needed to sustain a strong magnetic field, and the additional heat energy from impactors could have served to actually keep more of the core molten for a LONGER period of time than a no-impact scenario.

Someday we will be able to study the geological evidence on Mars more closely and will be able to make more definitive assessments about why Mars lost much of its magnetic field and thus its atmosphere more quickly than Earth. My prediction is that when the data is collected and the analysis is complete, the answer will be just what I quoted above, the main reason that earth kept it's atmosphere and magnetic field longer is primarily because it's bigger. So the talk about asteroid impacts is just noise from that perspective, since asteroids impacted both planets.

reply to post by Arbitrageur


The video did indeed say that it was because of the size difference of Earth and Mars. Looks like someone didn't watch it all the way through...

reply to post by TeslaandLyne


Well Venus has no magnetic field and I think Mercury has a very weak one at best.
Here is another interesting fact. Venus has no magnetic field, is near the same size as Earth yet has an atmosphere 90 times more dense than that of Earth. So if a planet's magnetic field protects its atmosphere then what does that say about the planet Venus?

reply to post by Devino


I should have payed more attention to the Russian Venus lander information.
As far as Mars having a collision wouldn't you think it would have rings of debris.
Mars may have had a cosmic event like being close enough to a larger planet or
comet that ripped it apart that is no longer affecting it as evident of some of the
planes of scattered meteorites as a close encounter with as comet.
Same as Earth in some places as Earth still gets the remains of a comet encounter
in the form of meteorites.
And yes this involves some of Velikovsky's theories.

Oroginally posted by TeslaandLyne
I should have payed more attention to the Russian Venus lander information.

Yeah, the Russians contributed a lot to our understanding of the solar system and was given little to no credit for the most part. As an example, I was surprised to learn that Russia's Venera program had the only successful probe landings on Venus.

As far as Mars having a collision wouldn't you think it would have rings of debris.

I don't really understand the nature of planetary rings even though I have read about the theories and scientific explanations. Honestly I feel that there is another force working here that effect these rings as well as magnetic fields and angular motions (orbital/rotational).

If we refer to ancient celestial myths we find many stories of interactions between the planets Mars, Venus and our Moon. Of coarse these interactions also effected Earth and can be said to have caused great global catastrophes like the biblical flood. Personally I find that entertaining these ideas to be very interesting.

I think it is very intriguing that the rotational/orbital characteristics of these two planets have similarities to Earth. Mars has a 24.62 hour long day and an axial tilt of 25.19° both very close to that of Earth's.

Venus has a tidal lock to Earth similar to that of our Moon. The same side of Venus faces Earth during each close approach (inferior conjunction) which happens every (@)584 days. This tidal lock is a direct result of both Earth's and Venus' orbital motions and Venus' retrograde rotation. If Venus' clockwise rotation (@243 days) was anything other than what it is now there would be no tidal lock.

There are many other connections between the orbital motions of Earth and Venus and I think that if one were to look the same could be said about Mars.

reply to post by Devino


Sounds like more evidence to support the Velikovsky theories.
Earth, Mars and Venus similarities.
Contact with the gods was in a very disorganized planetary system.
Velikovsky unpublished archive
However "Worlds in Collision" about Mars and Venus and Earth interaction
that some how the ancients wrote about is published and copyrighted
and unavailable for free use perhaps as a way the illuminati keeps secrets
or the truth and allows them to make money off their fantasies.
Anything left unexplained is an open doorway to publishing gold in science
and other educated matters. However they are quick to close the door
for any truth to be pronounced.