The sun has launched a surprise coronal mass ejection directly at Mars, which could spark auroras on the Red Planet and potentially erode part of Mars' remaining atmosphere when it hits on Sept. 1.
A mysterious explosion on the sun's far side has launched a blob of plasma and radiation that is forecast to slam into Mars. If the solar storm hits the Red Planet, it could trigger faint ultraviolet auroras and potentially erode part of the Martian atmosphere, according to experts.
The CME could create auroras over the Red Planet if it hits, according to Spaceweather.com, although they will appear faint. But Mars has a very thin atmosphere, with around 100 times less gas than Earth's, so its auroral displays are very weak in comparison and usually only show up in ultraviolet wavelengths. The Red Planet also lacks a proper magnetosphere because of its geologically dead core, meaning the planet is instead covered by patchy, mushroom-shaped magnetic fields. As a result, Martian auroras can appear almost anywhere on the planet, according to NASA.
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