The Sun is catch to its point of activity for this cycle , thesolar maximum . We have fancy the upshot here on Earth , with wireless blackouts and a series of spectacular break of day that were fancy at lower latitudes than usual . The sunspot responsible for the havoc motivate to the other side of the Sun short after theaurorae . There , it released the strong solar flare pass in maybe two decades , and its effects were measured across the Solar System .
The European Space Agency ( ESA ) had space vehicle fromthe orbit of Mercuryall the way to Mars detecting the powerful light and subsequent stream of particles erupt from the Sun . NASA , too , had observatories on and around the Red Planet , ready to observe and even being affected by the event .
“ The understanding why the X - socio-economic class flare that happened on the other side of the Sun is really interesting is because it ’s link up with particles that were on the itinerary of BepiColombo as well as Mars Express , ” DrMiho Janvier , solar and space physicist at ESA , order IFLScience .
The specks in the sequence of images in this video were caused by charged particles from a solar storm hitting one of the navigation cameras aboard NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover.Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
ESA’sSolar Orbiterestimated that on May 20 , macula AR 3664 bring out a solar flair . The flare was an X-12 , the strongest since September 7 , 2005 ( although a2017 eventmight have been a shade stronger ) . The flare relinquish Vasco da Gamma beam of light and X - ray that traveled to Mars over several minutes . The event was then followed by a coronal volume ejection with charge corpuscle give chase behind the light event .
Three NASA missions administer with the personal effects of the event . Spacecraft Mars Odyssey lost its ace camera for about an hour . This camera is used for the spacecraft ’s preference and it was flood by high - energy solar particles .
Mars has no magnetic field and a thin aura , so being on the ground does n’t offer much more aegis than being in orbit . This can be seen throughCuriosity’scameras , which were touch by the watercourse of mote .
MAVEN’s observations between May 14 and 20, 2024. The more purple, the more particles have interacted with the Martian atmosphere.Image credit: NASA/University of Colorado/LASP
The rover ’s Radiation Assessment Detector ( RAD ) measured a irradiation dose from the event of 8,100 micrograys . That is equivalent to fix 30 chest X - rays – sure as shooting not deadly , but a concerning amount for succeeding spaceman traveling in cryptic space during the solar maximum .
It was another NASA mission that make the most out of the consequence , and that was MAVEN . The orbiter has been studying the aurora that constitute on Mars . As mentioned , there ’s no magnetic field , so it is just particles consecutive - up hitting the atmosphere without being deflected towards the poles . And MAVEN saw the event lighting Mars up like a Christmas tree .
“ This was the big solar energetic particle event that MAVEN has ever construe , ” MAVEN Space Weather Lead , Christina Lee of the University of California , Berkeley ’s Space Sciences Laboratory , tell in astatement . “ There have been several solar events in retiring week , so we were go through wave after wave of particles hitting Mars . ”
NASA ’s experience on Mars is exciting , but there ’s more to add up . ESA has confirmed to IFLScience that it will shortly account on the same upshot with reflexion from multiple space missions . It is absolutely unbelievable how we can analyze this same solar solar flare and coronal mass ejections from wildly dissimilar position in the Solar System .
