Bizarre solar wind phenomena dramatically ballooned atmosphere of Mars

The scientists made a startling observation when they observed that the atmosphere of Mars dramatically ballooned outwards because of a void created due to a powerful gust of solar wind.

A new study has been published on the event which states how on 26 December 2022, a sharp drop in the solar particles was recorded by the MAVEN spacecraft present in orbit around Mars.

The spacecraft simultaneously recorded a bizarre and startling change in the atmosphere of Mars. The magnetosphere and ionosphere of Mars expanded thousands of kilometres, which tripled its size.

The last time scientists observed this phenomenon was in 1999 when the solar wind had suddenly dropped which led to outward swelling in the magnetosphere of Earth and increased its volume 100-fold.

These observations provided the scientists with a rare glimpse of how Mars behaves when there is a sudden change in the conditions of the Solar System and also gave insight into how planets interact in the solar system with their environments around different stars.

"When we first saw the data, and how dramatic the drop in the solar wind was, it was almost unbelievable," said astronomer Jasper Halekas, who is the lead author of a new study and is a professor at the University of Iowa.

"We formed a working group to study the event, and we have found this time period to be rich with incredible findings,” he added while speaking to Science Alert.

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Scientists trying to decode how Mars will orbit in a less 'windy' star

Generally, the solar wind remains constant in the Solar System and all the planets remain embedded in it. These solar winds are streams of particles which blow out from the Sun across different directions all the time and create ambient pressure throughout the Solar System, and further subside at a boundary called as heliopause.

However, a different kind of wind was gusted by Mars on 26 December 2022. This wind consisted of two different solar winds, a slower one which was swept up and later engulfed by a faster wind which was coming in from behind before it continued outwards as one superwind.

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A higher density of particles which was present in this double solar wind was recorded by MAVEN. After a significant drop in particle density was detected in the wind which passed by the orbiting observatory – a rare void of low density and extremely weak solar wind was detected, and a drop was also seen in solar wind pressure.

"We are really getting to see how Mars responds when the solar wind is effectively removed. It makes for a great outlier study on what Mars would be like if it were orbiting a less 'windy' star,” Halekas said.

The findings are being presented by the team at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2023.

(With inputs from agencies)