Scientists detect a super solar storm on Mars

The historic solar storm that lit up Earth’s skies with unusual auroras in May 2024 did not stop at our planet. This massive burst of energy also reached Mars, and it hit with tremendous force.

Because two spacecraft from the European Space Agency (ESA) were orbiting the planet at that exact moment, scientists were able to witness the most intense response to a solar storm ever recorded on the Red Planet.

Radiation levels equal to 200 days

The impact on Mars was extraordinary. According to data collected by the Mars Express probe and the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), the planet received in just 64 hours the same amount of radiation it would normally absorb over 200 days.

This surge of energy completely disrupted the Martian upper atmosphere, flooding it with negatively charged particles. Instruments detected a dramatic spike in electron levels: an increase of 45 percent at an altitude of 110 kilometers and an astonishing 278 percent at 130 kilometers above the surface. This represents the highest concentration of electrons ever observed in the Martian atmosphere.

Computer errors and a stroke of luck

This extreme radiation did not go unnoticed by the technology monitoring the planet. The impact caused computer errors in both European orbiters. Fortunately, because they are built with radiation-hardened components, their systems detected the faults and the spacecraft quickly recovered without suffering serious damage.

Capturing this phenomenon in real time was a matter of remarkable luck. To study the storm, scientists used a technique that involves bouncing radio signals between the two probes.

The European team activated this system just 10 minutes after the solar eruption struck Mars. Considering that this type of observation is carried out only twice a week, researchers acknowledge that the timing of the capture was a fortunate coincidence.

The difference between Earth and Mars

This event has demonstrated in real time why Mars is now a frozen desert while Earth is full of life. Unlike our planet, which has a protective magnetic field that absorbs and deflects such impacts, Mars lacks this shield, known as the magnetosphere.

Studying the current impact of these superstorms allows scientists to look back in time and understand how the solar wind has gradually stripped away the water Mars once had over millions of years.

This discovery is not only useful for understanding the past, it also serves as a warning for future missions. If radiation saturates the planet with electrons, the radar systems used to explore it could become completely blind.

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