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Study Confirms Record Martian Electron Surge From 2024 Solar Superstorm

Researchers quantified the surge’s scale using orbiter-to-orbiter radio occultation validated by NASA’s MAVEN.

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On 27 May 2024, the hyperactive sunspot region AR3664 announced its return to the Sun's side facing Earth by sending out a class X2.9 flare and blasting out a large amount of material. The coronal mass ejection can be clearly seen in this video as a bright burst of material from the left side of the Sun. Image via SOHO (ESA & NASA), NASA/SDO/AIA, JHelioviewer/D. Müller. CC BY-SA 3.0.

Overview

  • ESA’s Mars Express and ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter captured the largest ionospheric response yet seen at Mars during the May 11, 2024 event.
  • Electron densities jumped about 45% near 110 km and 278% near 130 km, setting record levels in those layers.
  • ExoMars TGO’s radiation monitor logged a dose roughly equal to 200 normal days in just 64 hours.
  • Both orbiters experienced transient computer errors from energetic particles but recovered quickly due to radiation-hardened designs and fault-correction systems.
  • The study warns that highly electron-dense layers can disrupt radio and radar signals, underscoring operational risks at a planet without a global magnetic field.