A terrifying solar storm lights up the planet! Shocked and Awestruck, NASA Calls It Epic

A horribly powerful solar storm spewed from the Sun struck this planet, leaving even NASA researchers shocked and awestruck.

The solar storm that hit Mars on May 20 was so powerful that photos taken by the Curiosity rover’s cameras danced with the “snow.” See picture. (NASA JPL Caltech)

A terrifying solar storm generated by a volatile Sun heading toward peak activity during its 11-year solar cycle has been described as “epic” by US space agency NASA. The solar storm actually hit Mars. Notably, a different, but equally horrific, solar storm hit planet Earth on May 10 and broke records that had stood for years.

The last solar storm triggered by the Sun, which had earlier this year entered a period dubbed solar maximumhad hit Mars and was so powerful that even NASA researchers were shocked and awed by its impact. The solar storm was so powerful that it actually “lit up” the planet Mars!

NASA was able to watch the entire terrifying episode unfold thanks to Mars rovers on the planet and orbiting satellites in the skies above the Red Planet. In fact, in recent times these instruments have faithfully recorded series of solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that hit the planet. Additionally, these solar storms also generated auroras on Mars, just like on Earth.

This solar storm hit Mars on May 20 and was measured at the X12 level. How strong was the dangerous radiation generated by it? NASA says that if an astronaut had been unlucky enough to be nearby at the time, the dose they would have received would be 8,100 micrograys. How much does this cost in current terms? 30 chest x-rays! This is notably the largest quantity measured on Mars in 12 years!

Fortunately, there were no astronauts on Mars, but the impact was felt in terms of technology. On May 20, the horrific high energy of the solar storm that hit Mars made the black-and-white photos taken by the Curiosity rover’s cameras dance with “snow” – check the main image.

In the future, it is unlikely that there will be a slowdown in the generation of these solar storms until the Sun completes this solar cycle.