The same massive sunspot responsible for triggering a historic geomagnetic storm on Earth in mid-May triggered a legendary storm for Mars a few days later. On May 20, data from Europe’s Solar Orbiter spacecraft showed that the predicted X12 solar flare was the strongest type. on the glare classification scale – AR3664 exploded from a… Read More »
The solar storms that produced the stunning auroras seen around the world on May 10 also gave Mars whiplash, sparking auroras over the Red Planet and doused the surface with harmful radiation. The main source of solar storms was an active region. AR3664It was a dense knot of magnetic flux on the sun, inhabited by… Read More »
As the clamor continues to bring pieces of Mars back to Earth for intensive study, scientists are also developing tools and techniques that can be sent to the Red Planet to search for life in situ. Could these low-cost approaches eliminate the early need for samples taken directly from Mars? This option brings to mind… Read More »