In a captivating celestial spectacle, NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover recently witnessed the Red Planet’s surface light up during an epic solar storm. The event, which unfolded like a cosmic light show, provided valuable insights into both space weather and potential radiation exposure for future Mars-bound astronauts.
Visual Artifacts on Mars
Curiosity’s navigation cameras captured black-and-white streaks and specks just as energetic particles from the solar storm bombarded the Martian surface. These visual artifacts resulted from the impact of charged particles on the camera’s image detector1. Imagine tiny cosmic fireworks painting the Martian landscape!
Solar Storms and Martian Auroras
Scientists had been anticipating such epic solar storms ever since the Sun entered a period of peak activity known as solar maximum earlier this year. Over the past month, Mars rovers and orbiters have given researchers a front-row seat to a series of solar flares and coronal mass ejections reaching Mars. These events even triggered Martian auroras, akin to Earth’s northern and southern lights.
The Big Event: X12 Solar Flare
On May 20, the most significant event occurred—a solar flare later estimated to be an X12. X-class solar flares are the strongest among several types. The Solar Orbiter spacecraft, a joint mission between ESA and NASA, provided crucial data for this assessment. After the flare sent charged particles into space via a coronal mass ejection, Mars was hit by X- and gamma-ray emissions. These particles, moving at the speed of light, reached Mars in mere tens of minutes.
Radiation Exposure and Space Weather Monitoring
NASA’s Moon to Mars Space Weather Analysis Office closely tracked this unfolding space weather. The office reported that after the coronal mass ejection, there may be an influx of charged particles. For future astronauts embarking on Mars missions, understanding radiation exposure is critical. This unprecedented opportunity to study space weather in deep space will inform safety protocols and radiation shielding for human exploration beyond Earth.