THE SAME giant sunspot that caused the most spectacular display of solar energy in decades on Earth has set off another record storm on Mars.
Breathtaking video captured by the Solar Orbiter spacecraft shows an X12 solar flare – the most powerful type – whipping debris across the Red Planet’s barren landscape on May 20.
Just days earlier, the same eruption had caused a geomagnetic storm on Earth that brought the aurora borealis to Florida, Texas and other southern regions that rarely witness the phenomenon.
The force of the storm was so intense that it caused what appeared to be white patches”snow” on black-and-white navigation images from cameras on Mars.
Earth’s magnetic field protects us by directing particles toward the poles, creating the aurora borealis that we usually see as bright green and pink lights.
However, Mars regularly experiences extensive auroras when it is hit by solar particles because it lacks a magnetic field.
May’s solar storms were caused when the X12 eruption unleashed a massive coronal mass ejection that sent superhot solar plasma hurtling toward Mars at millions of miles per hour, according to Live Science.
Scientists took the opportunity to study a video of the rare occurrence and the debris it caused a stir.
Researchers using NASA’s MAVEN orbiter, the 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter and the Curiosity Mars rover say they have captured valuable data that will help us better understand Mars and plan future manned missions.
“We’ve really got the full range of space weather on Mars from May 11 to 20, from major eruptions, CMEs and extreme solar energetic particle bursts, and we’ve only just begun to scratch the surface with data analysis. The May 14 flare really lived up to expectations,” he told Live Science Ed Thiemann, University of Colorado heliophysicist.
“The ergy significantly inflated and warmed the Martian atmosphere as expected, and the resulting CME did indeed create the aurora,” he added.
FRONT SEAT TO THE STARS
MAVEN – short for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution – had an amazing view of the spectacular energy above Mars.
The Solar Energetic Particle instrument measured the energy creating the aurora and helped scientists recreate the event.
“This was the largest solar energetic particle event MAVEN has ever seen,” said Christina Lee, MAVEN Space Weather Lead at UC Berkeley.
“There have been several solar events in the past few weeks, so we’ve seen wave after wave of particles hitting Mars.”
Another instrument, the Radiation Assessment Detector developed on Curiosity, captured the highest-energy particles that reached the Martian surface.
RAD showed the incredible radiation generated by the particle storm – about 8,100 micro-grays.
STRONGEST SOLAR STORM IN YEARS
If one stood next it would be like getting 30 chest x-rays into the rover at once.
This was the largest increase recorded in Curiosity’s 12 years on Mars.
The Odyssey star camera was briefly disabled by energetic particles, but it was still collecting data and X-rays with its high-energy neutron detector.
[The energy particles] they are like a light drizzle that keeps falling on the surface.
Tamitha Skov
“The ‘spots’ and ‘smears’ seen by the camera aboard Curiosity are not far from what astronauts see when their eyes are bombarded by particles from a radiation storm,” says Tamitha Skov, a retired researcher at the Aerospace Corporation and a professor of space weather at Millersville. The University of Pennsylvania, he told Space.com.
“In fact, astronauts aboard the ISS often describe seeing ‘fireworks’ when they close their eyes during a radiation storm.”
“This is because the energetic particle stores some energy when it passes directly through the CCD sensor in the camera or the retina in the eye, causing a false signal,” she explained.
Scientists say this level of radiation is not lethal to humans, but future visitors to Mars will need proper shielding.
SAFER GALACTIC TRAVEL
Data from the solar storm will also help scientists understand how to protect astronauts from solar storms.
“Cliffs or lava tubes would provide additional protection for an astronaut from such an event,” Don Hassler, RAD principal scientist, said in a NASA news release.
“In Mars orbit or in 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
- The land mass of Mars is very similar to Earth, but due to the difference in gravity, you could jump three times higher there than here
- Mars is mountainous and hosts the tallest 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 is 4,212 miles in diameter and has an average distance from Earth of 140 million miles
- Temperatures on Mars can vary greatly, reaching as low as 70F/20C or as low as -225F/-153C
In addition to human safety, solar storms can affect food growing on Mars.
“From growth plants requires sunlight, energy and lots of space, it will be difficult to grow enough food in lava tubes or caves, even if the colonists are able to supply enough artificial light to sustain their growth,” Skov said.
“Unlike Earth, the atmosphere on Mars is so thin that energetic particles can penetrate all the way to the ground. This means that radiation storms, in one form or another, are a constant problem there.”
“They are like a light drizzle that keeps falling on the surface,” she added.
With the sunspot now facing Mars again, scientists are eager to learn more about this amazing solar event.
“This same group of sunspots is still active and rotating toward Mars this week and may provide additional events to help us understand the evolution and loss of the Martian atmosphere,” Thiemann said.