This image illustrates the magnetic field of the planet.
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Image from: NASA/JPL
Mars Global Surveyor Magnetometer findings
An important new result from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) mission is the definite confirmation of the presence of a magnetosphere around Mars.
Previous missions did not make very good measurements of the Martian magnetic field. Finding a magnetic field helps scientists understand where the magnetic material of Mars is, and helps scientists understand little bit more about the evolution of Mars. It also answers one question the Mars Surveyor Program set out to address.
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