The same huge sunspot that caused the most spectacular display of solar energy in decades on Earth has triggered another record-breaking storm on Mars.
A mesmerizing video captured by the Solar Orbiter spacecraft shows an X12 solar flare – the strongest type – scattering debris across the Red Planet’s arid landscape on May 20.
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Just days earlier, the same eruption caused a geomagnetic storm on Earth that brought the aurora to Florida, Texas and other southern areas that rarely witness the phenomenon.
The power of the storm was so intense that it caused what appeared to be white patches of “snow“in the black and white navigation images from cameras on Mars.
Earth’s magnetic field protects us by channeling particles toward the poles and creating polar auroras, which we normally see as bright green and pink lights.
However, Mars regularly experiences widespread auroras when hit by solar particles because it lacks a magnetic field.
May’s solar storms were caused when the X12 explosion triggered a massive coronal mass ejection, which sent superhot solar plasma toward Mars at millions of miles per hour, according to Living Science.
Scientists took the opportunity to study video of the rare occurrence and the debris it caused.
Researchers who used NASA’s MAVEN orbiter, the 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter and the Curiosity Mars rover said they captured valuable data to help us better understand Mars and plan future crewed missions.
“We really got the full range of space weather on Mars from May 11 to May 20, from large flares, CMEs, and an extreme burst of energetic solar particles, and we’ve only just begun to scratch the surface by analyzing the data. The May 14 flare really did as expected,” Ed Thiemann, a heliophysicist at the University of Colorado, told Live Science.
“The explosion significantly inflated and heated Mars’ atmosphere as expected, and the resulting CME did indeed produce auroras,” he added.
A FRONT ROW SEAT TO THE STARS
MAVEN — short for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution — took an awe-inspiring look at the spectacular energy on Mars.
The spacecraft’s Solar Energetic Particle instrument measured the aurora’s creative energy and helped scientists recreate the event.
“This was the largest solar energetic particle event that MAVEN has ever seen,” said Christina Lee, MAVEN space weather lead at UC Berkeley.
“There have been several solar events in recent weeks, so we’ve seen wave after wave of particles hitting Mars.”
Another instrument, the Radiation Assessment Detector developed at Curiosity, captured the most energetic particles that reached the surface of Mars.
RAD showed the incredible radiation generated by the particle storm – about 8,100 micrograys.
STRONGEST SOLAR STORM IN YEARS
If a person stayed next for the rover, it would be like taking 30 chest x-rays at once.
This was the largest increase detected in Curiosity’s 12 years on Mars.
Odyssey’s Star camera was briefly shut down by the energetic particles, but still collected data and X-rays with its high-energy neutron detector.
[The energy particles] they are like a light drizzle falling incessantly on the surface, all the time.
Tamitha Skov
“The ‘spots’ and ‘streaks’ observed on the camera aboard Curiosity are not far from what astronauts see when their eyes are bombarded by radiation storm particles,” said Tamitha Skov, a retired Aerospace Corporation researcher and climate professor. space in Millersville. University in Pennsylvania, told Space.com.
“In fact, astronauts aboard the ISS often describe seeing ‘fireworks’ when they close their eyes during radiation storms.”
“This is because an energetic particle will deposit some energy as it passes through a camera’s CCD sensor or the eye’s retina, causing a false signal,” she explained.
Scientists say this level of radiation is not deadly to humans, but future visitors to Mars will need adequate protection.
SAFER GALACTIC TRAVEL
Solar storm data will also help scientists understand how to protect astronauts from solar storms.
“Cliffs or lava tubes would provide additional protection for an astronaut against such an event,” said Don Hassler, principal scientific investigator at RAD, in a NASA press release.
“In Mars orbit or deep space, the dose rate would be significantly higher,” he added.
Facts about Mars
Here’s what you need to know about the red planet…
- Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun
- It is named after the Roman god of war
- Mars’ landmass is very similar to Earth’s, but due to the difference in gravity, you could jump three times as high there as you can here.
- Mars is mountainous and is home to the highest known mountain in the Solar System, called Olympus Mons, which is three times taller than Everest.
- Mars is considered the second most habitable planet after Earth
- The planet takes 687 Earth days to orbit the Sun
- The planet has a diameter of 4,212 miles and an average distance from Earth of 140 million miles.
- Martian temperatures can vary enormously, reaching as high as 70F/20C or as low as -225F/-153C
In addition to human safety, solar storms can affect food cultivation on Mars.
“Since he grew up plants requires sunlight, energy and a lot of space, it will be difficult to grow enough food in lava tubes or caves, even if colonists are able to provide enough artificial light to sustain its growth,” Skov said.
“Unlike Earth, Mars’ atmosphere is so tenuous that energetic particles can penetrate all the way to the ground. This means that radiation storms, in one form or another, are an ongoing problem there.”
“They are like a light drizzle falling incessantly on the surface, all the time,” she added.
With the sunspot now facing Mars again, scientists are eager to learn more about this incredible solar event.
“This same sunspot group is still active and rotating toward Mars this week, and may provide more events to help our understanding of the evolution and loss of the Martian atmosphere,” Thiemann said.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
