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A solar storm hit the Earth, moon, and Mars at the same time — the first time an outburst on three planetary surfaces has been measured at the same time.
An international fleet of spacecraft detected the eruption and found that the particles had enough energy to float through Earth’s magnetic field, which typically protects our planet from such events.
The solar storm ravaged the moon and Mars due to a lack of magnetic fields, which astronomers fear could prove deadly to future human explorations.
People are considering going back to the moon and eventually to Mars within the next few decades.
The solar storm was detected on October 28, 2021, but the scientists published their findings today. The event was the first to strike three planetary surfaces at once
“We still face a major hurdle, ‘space radiation’, which represents a significant and unavoidable risk to the health of crews, especially for long-term stays on future lunar or Mars stations,” reads the study by scientists at the University of Science and Technology of China.
“In particular, sporadic solar energetic particles (SEPs) generated through extreme solar outbursts can raise the radiation levels from the moon or the Martian surface to potentially dangerous levels.”
The solar storm was detected on October 28, 2021, but the scientists published their findings today.
The event was captured by the European Space Agency’s (ESA) ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) lunar module, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and German Aerospace Center’s (DLR). ). ) Eu:CROPIS Earth Orbiter.
The team said the event was an example of a rare “ground-level enhancement,” meaning particles released in the explosion have enough energy to pass through the magnetic bubble surrounding Earth and protect us from less active solar eruptions. .
An international fleet of spacecraft detected the eruption and found that the particles had enough energy to float through Earth’s magnetic field, which typically protects our planet from such events.
This was only the 73rd ground-level improvement since measurements began in the 1940s, and none have been recorded since — but still, the first time a solar storm has hit three planetary surfaces at once.
Because the moon and Mars are not protected in a “bubble” like Earth, particles from the sun can interact with the ground to create secondary generation.
However, Mars has a thin atmosphere that traps most of the lower energy solar particles and slows down the highly energetic particles.
ESA shared in a statement that “a radiation dose of more than 700 milligrays – the unit of absorption of radiation – can cause radiation sickness by destroying the bone marrow, resulting in symptoms such as infection and internal bleeding.”
If an astronaut receives more than 10 shades of gray, it is extremely unlikely that he will survive more than two weeks.
The 2021 solar storm didn’t release enough radiation to harm astronauts in lunar orbit — NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter clocked in just 31 milligrays.
Scientist Jingnan Guo examined the solar event and said: ‘Our calculations of the previous ground-level events show that on average one event every 5.5 years would have exceeded the safe dose level on the moon if radiation protection had not been provided. Understanding these events is crucial for future manned missions to the lunar surface.”
The study shows ExoMars measured 9 milligrays, 30 times more than the 0.3 milligrays detected at the surface by the rover Curiosity.
ESA’s inner solar system missions, Solar Orbiter, SOHO and BepiColombo, were also caught in the blast, providing even more vantage points to study this solar event.
Marco Pinto, an ESA researcher working on radiation detectors, said: ‘We live in a golden age of solar system physics.
“Radiation detectors aboard planetary missions such as BepiColombo, heading to Mercury, and Juice, cruising to Jupiter, add much-needed coverage to study the acceleration and propagation of solar energetic particles.”