Scientists Link 2018 Solar Particle Event to Martian Heating as Global Dust Storm Amplified Impact
Updated
Updated · Universe Today · Jul 31
Scientists Link 2018 Solar Particle Event to Martian Heating as Global Dust Storm Amplified Impact
2 articles · Updated · Universe Today · Jul 31
Summary
Five solar energetic particle events were examined, and only the June 2018 case showed clear heating in Mars' lower atmosphere.
That event overlapped with a planet-wide dust storm, and researchers said the heating pattern did not match what dust alone would be expected to produce.
Mars is especially exposed because its thin atmosphere and weak global magnetic shielding leave it more vulnerable to charged particles from solar flares and coronal mass ejections.
The June 2018 storm was the same one that cut sunlight to NASA's Opportunity rover, and the finding suggests Martian weather models may need to treat solar activity and dust storms as interacting forces.