Mars experienced a unique event last December when its air, typically pushed away by the sun’s solar wind, got a break for two days.
During this time, the air on the sun-facing side of Mars swelled up like a balloon, increasing nearly four times its usual size from 497 miles (800 km) to an impressive 1,864 miles (3,000 km). NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft, which has been observing Mars since 2014, captured this unusual occurrence.
NASA model reveals CME's potential to trigger solar storm on Mars and degrade its atmosphere; Get more information#Mars #NASA #Solarstorm https://t.co/EEmXMgpMtC
— ReturnByte – Daily Tech Dose (@returnbyte_tech) December 8, 2023
This notable incident, detailed in a report by Space.com, is the first of its kind in MAVEN’s almost ten-year mission, providing scientists with valuable insights into the dynamics of Mars’ atmosphere. Jasper Halekas, a member of the MAVEN team and a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Iowa, expressed enthusiasm, stating, “This is something that we haven’t seen at Mars before with MAVEN.” The findings were presented at a conference held in California.
The event unfolded when a fast-moving region of solar wind overtook its slower counterpart, creating a less windy region that reached Mars on December 25, 2022. According to Space.com report, MAVEN not only observed the expansion of the Martian air but also detected changes in other components, such as the magnetic field, bow shock, and ionosphere.
“This was a Christmas present for us,” said Halekas, emphasizing the fortuitous timing of the observation. The information from MAVEN’s data, as reported by Space.com, is crucial for understanding the impact of extreme solar events on Mars’ atmosphere and offers insights into the evolution of Earth-like planets beyond our solar system.
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Following the brief disturbance, Mars’ atmosphere returned to its original state, with a slight jiggling motion. The report suggests that similar events might have been common in Mars’ early evolution, potentially explaining the planet’s transition from a world with liquid water to its current dry state.
The report also speculates that more events like this might occur in the next two years as the sun’s activity increases. The findings from MAVEN’s observations, detailed in the Space.com report, underscore the mission’s significance in unraveling the mysteries of Mars’ dynamic atmosphere.
