A massive solar storm hit Mars in May 2024
A massive solar storm hit Mars in May 2024, causing its lower ionosphere to balloon to nearly three times its usual size—an unprecedented increase at Mars.
This happened about 130km above the surface and was picked up by several spacecraft, including ESA's Mars Express and NASA's MAVEN.
ESA's ExoMars TGO measured a staggering amount of radiation
ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter measured a staggering amount of radiation—what Mars usually gets in 200 days, it got in just 64 hours.
Radio signals also showed big changes as the storm zapped the atmosphere with plasma and X-rays.
As lead author Jacob Parrott put it, this was "the biggest response to a solar storm we've ever seen at Mars."
These findings help scientists understand how wild space weather
Even though some orbiters briefly glitched from all that energy, their tough design helped them bounce back.
These findings help scientists understand how wild space weather can strip away Mars's water and air over time—and why keeping an eye on these storms is key for future missions.