Massive solar flare sunspot that caused auroras on Earth now targets Mars

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Just like Earth, Mars will be directly affected by the coronal mass ejection (CME) as it crosses its path, leading to interactions with the Martian atmosphere and the generation of a solar storm.

Earth faced a massive solar flare fired off sunspot AR3664 last week, offering space enthusiasts a god-sent opportunity to witness auroras. Last week, our home planet Earth was in the direct firing line of the massive coronal mass ejection. This week, another planet is going to face the wrath of the massive solar flare: Mars.

"Looking at the measurements of the flare from Mars using the Extreme Ultraviolet Monitor (EUVM) onboard MAVEN, this is by-far the largest flare we've seen since MAVEN arrived at Mars in 2014," Dr Ed Thiemann, Heliophysicist at the University of Colorado at Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), was quoted as saying by Space.com.

"We haven't looked at MAVEN's atmospheric measurements yet, but based on prior events, we expect the flare rapidly heated and ionized the Martian upper atmosphere, causing the upper atmospheric temperature to perhaps double for a few hours and inflating the entire daylit hemisphere by tens of km."

Indeed, NASA's Perseverance Mars rover has a front-row position on the Red Planet, enabling it to directly observe the sun with both AR3663 and AR3664 sunspots in its view. 

Just like Earth, Mars will be directly affected by the coronal mass ejection (CME) as it crosses its path, leading to interactions with the Martian atmosphere and the generation of a solar storm. As of result of this, aurora might become visible to Perseverance, offering an awe-inspiring spectacle to behold.

"The CME launched by the flare is on its way and it may cause global-scale aurora and energize Mars's upper ionosphere and magnetosphere," Thiemann said.

Unlike Earth, Mars lacks a magnetic field to protect it from highly charged particles. Therefore, it's significant for MAVEN to remain there and monitor and study Mars's upper atmosphere, particularly during events like this.

(With inputs from agencies)  

Vikrant Singh

Geopolitical writer at WION, follows Indian foreign policy and world politics, a truth seeker.