Powerful Solar Outburst Hit Earth, Moon, Mars for the First Time [Study]

A violent solar activity was powerful that it hit the Earth, Moon, and Mars at the same time. The incident reportedly happened in 2021, but a new report claimed it was a "scientific first."

Violent Solar Outburst in 2021 Made a Scientific First

For the first time, a. powerful outburst from the Sun was so strong that the activity was observed on Earth, the Moon, and Mars. The two planes were on opposite sides of the Sun when the incident occurred, Science Alert reported.

A plethora of this knowledge was dropped into our laps on Oct. 28, 2021, when the Sun unleashed a strong coronal mass ejection (CME) so potent that it could be felt on Earth's surface, which was very unusual. It was significantly rarer for us to be able to measure it.

The radiation influx was discovered by the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter of the European Space Agency, the Curiosity Mars rover of NASA, the Chang'e-4 Moon Lander of the Chinese National Space Administration, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter of NASA, the Eu:CROPIS Earth orbiter of the German Aerospace Center, and ground-based neutron monitors on Earth.

At the time, Earth and Mars were on different sides of the Sun, spaced apart by about 250 million kilometers (155 million miles); Mars is, of course, further away from the Sun than Earth. As a result, the detections enabled researchers to examine how a CME's material spreads and its consequences at various locations within the inner Solar System.

The radiation dose in orbit would have been 10 milligrays on Earth, while the dose at the surface was insignificant. The Moon's orbit was measured at 31 millimeters, while its surface was measured at 17 millimeters. On Mars, the orbital measurement was 9 milligrays, and the surface measurement was 0.3 milligrays.

According to astronomer Jingnan Guo of the University of Science and Technology of China, who oversaw the analysis, calculations of previous ground-level enhancement events reveal that, on average, one event every 5.5 years may have exceeded the safe dose level on the Moon if no radiation protection had been provided. Future crewed trips to the Moon's surface will greatly depend on our understanding of these events.

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Solar Activity

It is not new for the Sun to shoot radiation and particles into space. It's the Sun's entire endeavor. Furthermore, coronal mass ejections, in which the Sun hurls billions of tons of matter and magnetic fields into the Solar System, are neither uncommon nor especially concerning, for the most part.

Our atmosphere shields us from the full force of the Sun's harmful radiation here on Earth. A dose of around 700 milligrays of particle radiation from a potent coronal mass ejection (CME) could produce radiation illness. It could be lethal within a fortnight at a high enough level, around 10 grays. We've just been relatively fortunate thus far, but CMEs can produce those levels.

Space agencies are now planning crewed trips to the Moon and Mars. However, no atmosphere is strong enough to shield against solar radiation like Earth. Consequently, awareness of a CME's potential strength and range is crucial.

In a previous report from Science Times, companies working on space missions use radiation hardening to make spacecraft radiation-tolerant. The technology creates radiation-tolerant electronics that can withstand intense radiation.

The study was published in Geophysical Research Letters.