Strongest Solar Flares in a Decade Trigger Auroras on Mars and Earth: Insights for Future Astronaut Missions

Not Applicable, Not Applicable United States of America
Curiosity rover detected a surge of radiation reaching Mars, equivalent to 30 chest X-rays for an astronaut.
Mars experienced auroras after being hit by charged particles from the solar storm.
MAVEN orbiter observed auroras on Mars using its Solar Energetic Particle instrument.
NASA's Solar Orbiter recorded an X12 solar flare in May 2024, the strongest type of solar flare.
Solar storms occur during the Sun's 11-year cycle and offer scientists a unique opportunity to study space weather and radiation exposure in deep space.
Strongest Solar Flares in a Decade Trigger Auroras on Mars and Earth: Insights for Future Astronaut Missions

Recent solar outbursts from the Sun have triggered dramatic auroras on Mars, providing valuable insights for future astronaut missions to the Red Planet. In May 2024, NASA's Solar Orbiter recorded an X12 solar flare, the strongest type of solar flare, which sent charged particles and radiation towards Mars at the speed of light. The Moon to Mars Space Weather Analysis Office at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center tracked these particles arriving on Mars within tens of minutes.

NASA's Curiosity rover captured the aftermath of a solar storm on Mars using its navigation cameras, recording white streaks and specks caused by charged particles hitting the cameras. The Martian robot also measured the largest surge of radiation reaching Mars, detecting a dose equivalent to 30 chest X-rays for an astronaut on the surface.

NASA's MAVEN orbiter observed auroras on Mars using its Solar Energetic Particle instrument. These events occurred as part of the Sun's 11-year cycle, which is currently approaching solar maximum with increased sunspots, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections.

The largest dose of radiation detected by Curiosity rover during its 12-year mission offers valuable information for future astronaut missions to Mars. Potential shelter options include cliffsides or lava tubes that could provide additional shielding from solar events.

Earth also experienced its own set of auroras during the same solar storm, causing disruptions in the power grid and radio blackouts among other technologies. NASA plans to land astronauts on Mars in the 2030s, and understanding radiation exposure is crucial for their safety.

The Sun goes through an 11-year cycle of activity, with solar maximum occurring approximately every 11 years. During this period, the Sun releases a wide range of energetic particles that can reach Mars and cause auroras. These events offer scientists a unique opportunity to study space weather and radiation exposure in deep space.


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Recent Solar Outbursts Trigger Dramatic Auroras on Mars

Gizmodo Passant Rabie Tuesday, 11 June 2024 18:30
  • Unique Points
    • A recent solar outburst from the Sun sent charged particles and radiation towards Mars, allowing scientists to study events on planets other than Earth.
    • , NASA’s Curiosity rover captured the aftermath of a solar storm on Mars using its navigation cameras.
    • The Martian robot measured the largest dose of radiation during its 12-year mission, providing insight into future astronaut exposure on Mars.
    • NASA’s MAVEN orbiter observed auroras on the far side of Mars, mirroring recent auroral events on Earth.
    • Over the past month, the Sun has emitted a series of solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that traveled to Mars.
    • On May 20, NASA’s Solar Orbiter recorded an X12 solar flare, the strongest type of solar flare.
    • The massive solar flare sent X-rays and gamma rays towards Mars at the speed of light and charged particles from a subsequent CME.
    • The Moon to Mars Space Weather Analysis Office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center tracked the particles arriving on Mars within tens of minutes.
    • Curiosity rover’s Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) measured the largest surge of radiation reaching Mars, detecting a dose equivalent to 30 chest X-rays for an astronaut on the surface.
    • As NASA plans to land astronauts on Mars in the 2030s, cliffsides or lava tubes could provide additional shielding from solar events.
    • The Sun goes through an 11-year cycle of activity, and we are currently approaching the solar maximum of cycle 25 with increased sunspots, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections.
    • Earth experienced its own solar storm between May 10 to 12, causing disruptions in the power grid and radio blackouts among other technologies.
    • Mars had its own set of auroras during the recent solar storm observed by NASA’s MAVEN orbiter using its Solar Energetic Particle instrument.
  • Accuracy
    • NASA’s Curiosity rover captured the aftermath of a solar storm on Mars using its navigation cameras.
  • Deception (100%)
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  • Fallacies (100%)
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  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

99%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

NASA Watches Mars Light Up During Epic Solar Storm

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Monday, 10 June 2024 16:00
  • Unique Points
    • A recent extreme solar storm provided more detail on how much radiation future astronauts could encounter on Mars.
    • 'During the May 20 event, so much energy from the storm struck the surface that black-and-white images from Curiosity's navigation cameras danced with 'snow' - white streaks and specks caused by charged particles hitting the cameras.
    • The biggest event occurred on May 20 with a solar flare later estimated to be an X12, the strongest of several types of X-class solar flares.
    • During solar events, the Sun releases a wide range of energetic particles. Only the most energetic can reach the surface to be measured by RAD. Slightly less energetic particles, those that cause auroras, are sensed by MAVEN's Solar Energetic Particle instrument.
    • Data collected from NASA's spacecraft won't only help future planetary missions to Mars but also contributes to a wealth of information being gathered by the agency's other heliophysics missions.
    • MAVEN's principal investigator is based at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder. LASP is also responsible for managing science operations and public outreach and communications.
  • Accuracy
    • A recent solar outburst from the Sun sent charged particles and radiation towards Mars, allowing scientists to study events on planets other than Earth.
    • NASA’s Curiosity rover captured the aftermath of a solar storm on Mars using its navigation cameras.
    • During the solar storm, the radiation detected by Curiosity Mars rover’s Radiation Assessment Detector shot up to 8,100 micrograys.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

98%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Solar storm douses Mars in radiation as auroras flicker in the Red Planet sky (video)

Space.com Keith Cooper Tuesday, 11 June 2024 20:00
  • Unique Points
    • The primary source of the solar storms was an active region, AR3664, which was an intense knot of magnetic flux on the sun populated by dozens of sunspots that unleashed a large number of powerful flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
    • During the solar storm, the radiation detected by Curiosity Mars rover’s Radiation Assessment Detector shot up to 8,100 micrograys, which is equivalent to undergoing about 30 chest X-rays all at once.
    • Astronauts could potentially take shelter in caves like those connected with pit craters and lava tubes on the flanks of volcanoes during a solar storm.
  • Accuracy
    • A solar storm caused auroras to flicker in the Red Planet sky and doused Mars with radiation.
    • During the solar storm, the radiation detected by Curiosity Mars rover’s Radiation Assessment Detector shot up to 8,100 micrograys.
    • NASA’s MAVEN orbiter was able to capture Martian aurora from above Mars as charged particles from the CME rained down onto the Red Planet.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (95%)
    The author makes several scientific statements about solar storms, radiation levels on Mars, and the effects of these events on spacecraft. No formal or informal fallacies were found in the article. However, there are a few instances of inflammatory rhetoric used to describe the severity of the solar storms and their potential impact on astronauts and spacecraft.
    • ][The most powerful flare unleashed during this period occurred on May 20, 2024, when Earth was on the other side of the sun but Mars was directly in the firing line.][/
    • A barrage of gamma-rays and X-rays flew towards Mars at the speed of light, followed a few days later by the slower-moving charged particles of a coronal mass ejection.
    • The radiation detected by RAD shot up to 8,100 micrograys, which is the equivalent of undergoing about 30 chest X-rays all at once.
    • This was the largest solar energetic particle event that MAVEN has ever seen.
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

99%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Massive Solar Flares, Storm 'Light Up' Mars: NASA

Newsweek LLC Maura Zurick Tuesday, 11 June 2024 02:28
  • Unique Points
    • A series of solar flares and coronal mass ejections have reached Mars that are not mentioned in other articles
    • NASA reported views of ‘Martian auroras’ that are not mentioned in other articles
    • At the peak of a solar maximum, the sun more frequently launches coronal mass ejections which cause an increase in geomagnetic storms, solar flares, and auroras but this specific detail is not mentioned in other articles
    • In May 2023, millions of people in the US witnessed northern lights due to a huge solar storm but the exact number of people is not mentioned in other articles
    • NASA’s Mars rovers and orbiters have given researchers views of remarkable solar activity over the past month but this specific detail about multiple rovers and orbiters is not mentioned in other articles
  • Accuracy
    • A series of solar flares and coronal mass ejections have reached Mars
    • NASA reported views of ‘Martian auroras’
    • Solar activity levels ebb and flow over 11-year cycles with a peak happening now
    • At the peak of a solar maximum, the sun more frequently launches coronal mass ejections which cause an increase in geomagnetic storms, solar flares, and auroras
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

99%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

This Is What An Epic Solar Storm Looked Like On Mars

Forbes Magazine Amanda Kooser Tuesday, 11 June 2024 00:00
  • Unique Points
    • An epic solar storm occurred in May 2023 and was detected by NASA’s MAVEN orbiter on Mars.
    • NASA’s Curiosity rover captured images of the solar storm’s impact on Mars.
    • MAVEN orbiter also detected Martian auroras during the solar storm, which covered the whole planet instead of being concentrated at the poles like Earth’s auroras.
  • Accuracy
    • The specks in the images were caused by charged particles from the solar storm hitting one of Curiosity’s navigation cameras.
    • An astronaut standing beside Curiosity would have been exposed to an 8,100-microgray dose of radiation during the solar storm.
    • NASA is planning ahead for human exploration of Mars and will need to find ways to protect astronauts from radiation.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication