By: Aaron Li

Auroras have been a tourist attraction on Earth. But on Mars, a once in a decade solar storm has covered the entire planet in violet and green.

Hundreds of scientists sit in rooms around the world, examining pictures and data from Martian satellites. However, this data was far from typical – it was collected during an Aurora Borealis on Mars. When plasma carried by solar wind reaches Earth, it is caught in the magnetic field and yanked toward the Earth’s magnetic poles. Along the way, the plasma collides with gasses in the atmosphere and ignites, creating an Aurora. Because Mars has no magnetic field, the plasma spreads evenly throughout the whole planet, making the Aurora visible, location notwithstanding.

Caused by the same storm that has caused outages and shorted satellites on Earth in mid-May, the Martian Aurora Borealis blanketed the red planet. Three days later, a coronal mass ejection (CME) spewed plasma, carrying a magnetic field towards Mars. The total amount of radiation from the two events would be equivalent to 30 chest X-rays, which is extremely damaging for the human body.

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN), a satellite designed to orbit Mars, has detected a bright ultraviolet hue. The distinct color is because of the Martian atmosphere’s unique composition, while a faint green would have been visible from the surface.

Lava tubes, which are tunnels made by the movement of lava, might be used to seek refuge during these events until a permanent structure that can withstand the extreme radiation is built.

But humans won’t be the only one affected. These storms have proven to be extremely degrading for rovers such as Curiosity and Perseverance’s well as satellites such as the Mars Odyssey and have caused a year’s worth of damage to their solar panels. Thankfully, none was permanent, and all data was returned, making the groundbreaking mission a great success.