The Day the Solar Wind Disappeared from Mars - Earth Came Across This Rare Phenomenon 24 Years Ago
Today, Mars is a cold desert surrounded by a thin wisp of air, but its dry lakebeds and empty river channels point to a warmer, wetter past, maintained by a thicker atmosphere.
Where did the ancient atmosphere go, and with it, the water?
To answer that question, NASA’s MAVEN orbiter has been studying the upper atmosphere of Mars since 2014. Now, it has witnessed a rare phenomenon that was last seen more than two decades ago at Earth.
.
Among MAVEN’s suite of science instruments is the Solar Wind Ion Analyzer, which measures electrically charged particles, or ions, surrounding Mars. In this data visualization, yellow spikes indicate the velocity of charged particles encountered by MAVEN along one of its orbital tracks.
The largest source of charged particles in the solar system is the Sun, which constantly bombards the planets with a stream of electrons and hydrogen ions. When this solar wind reaches Mars, it interacts with heavier ions in the planet’s upper atmosphere. This creates a global magnetic field, or magnetosphere, that deflects the solar wind around Mars in a bow shock.
MAVEN’s science orbit is designed to probe these distinct regions in situ. With each pass, it crosses through the magnetosphere, bow shock, and upstream solar wind – measuring changes in ion velocity and density along the way. On December 25th, 2022, MAVEN encountered a sudden and dramatic decrease in solar wind density. As the pressure of the solar wind dropped, the Martian magnetosphere and bow shock ballooned outward, engulfing MAVEN’s orbit. From the spacecraft’s perspective, shielded beneath the bow shock, the solar wind had disappeared.
In 1999, NASA’s ACE satellite observed the same phenomenon at Earth. The solar wind density dropped by more than 98%, causing our planet’s magnetosphere to expand to over five times its normal size.
These rare events occur when a fast-moving region of the solar wind overtakes a slower-moving region, leaving a low-density void in its wake. As quickly as the solar wind had disappeared from Mars, it returned on December 27th and squeezed the magnetosphere and the bow shock back to their usual proportions.
MAVEN could once again feel the solar wind blowing across its instruments and it could continue to study how Mars had evolved from a wet, hospitable planet, into the cold, dry world we see today.
Thanks for watching!
#solarwind #Mars #Martianmagnetosphere
Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Music credit: YouTube Audio Library
1) Ladybug - Quincas Moreira
2) The Charmer’s Call - Hanu Dixit
1 view
1
1
4 weeks ago 00:03:39 1
In The End [Official HD Music Video] - Linkin Park
4 weeks ago 07:27:53 1
Solana Breakpoint 2024 - Day 1 - Left Curve Stage
4 weeks ago 00:04:03 1
Vended - Where The Honesty Lies (Official Music Video)
4 weeks ago 00:06:01 1
“Sea“ (Official Music Video). New Song 2024, Eurodance, 80s,90s
4 weeks ago 00:07:47 1
AliExpress Alternatives: Discover the Best Dropshipping Suppliers Today!
4 weeks ago 00:00:43 1
Converge “Phoenix In Flames“
4 weeks ago 01:33:20 1
Reinhardt Buhr - The Space Between (2021 Full Album) - Ambient Ableton Live Looping
4 weeks ago 00:28:44 1
REAL Shadow Person Caught On Camera!
4 weeks ago 00:04:47 1
Nightwish - The Day Of... (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)
4 weeks ago 01:08:52 1
Groovy Disco House Music Mix – Summer Good Vibes by Paxtone
4 weeks ago 00:05:14 1
Unlock the Power of Local SEO! Learn How with Local Kingdom: Lead Generation SEO – Now 91% Off!
4 weeks ago 00:04:24 1
Ed Sheeran - Shape of You (Official Music Video)
4 weeks ago 00:04:36 1
Данечка собирается в Африку / Daniela goes to Africa
4 weeks ago 00:04:41 1
Sri Mahalakshmi Ashtakam | महालक्ष्मी अष्टकम | Powerful Lakshmi Mantra
4 weeks ago 00:00:59 1
Wednesday: Season 2 | First Look at Behind the Scenes | Netflix
4 weeks ago 01:03:27 1
Blazy @ Universo Paralello 23/24 (Full Set Movie)
4 weeks ago 00:06:20 1
Surprise Hawaii Ukulele🎸Dimple’s Birthday Celebration in Philippines @insta360 #insta360x4 #ukulele
4 weeks ago 07:59:11 1
COSMIC RELAXATION: 8 HOURS of 4K Deep Space NASA Footage + Chillout Music for Studying, Working, Etc
4 weeks ago 07:38:31 1
Frostpunk 2 | Transmission from New London - Day 2
4 weeks ago 00:17:21 1
Wreckage Of Titan Submersible Reveal How It Imploded
4 weeks ago 00:11:07 1
УЧАСТНИКИ [AMATORY] | СЛОТ \ RAVDINA и THE KOREA ГОВОРЯТ О НОВЫХ LINKIN PARK | Середа + Кавленас
4 weeks ago 11:54:57 1
Cozy Lakeside Ambient | Relaxing Fire Pit and Soothing Lake Waves Sounds helps to Relax, Study
4 weeks ago 00:02:42 1
Creedence Clearwater Revival: Have You Ever Seen The Rain?
4 weeks ago 00:22:13 1
How did Hezbollah’s chief react to Israel’s 2-day terror blitz? | The Cradle Bytes