Planet Mars: The Day the Solar Wind Disappeared | NASA Goddard

Planet Mars: The Day the Solar Wind Disappeared | NASA Goddard

In December 2022, NASA’s Mars-orbiting MAVEN mission observed the dramatic and unexpected “disappearance” of the solar wind, a stream of charged particles that continuously emanates from the Sun. This was caused by a special type of solar event that was so powerful, it created a void in its wake as it traveled through the solar system. The Martian atmosphere and magnetosphere expanded by thousands of kilometers in response, causing the solar wind to temporarily vanish from Mars. MAVEN’s observations of this dramatic event are helping scientists to better understand the physics that drive atmospheric and water loss at Mars.

 Learn more about MAVEN at: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/maven

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)

Kel Elkins: Lead Data Visualizer

Dan Gallagher: Producer/Narrator

Greg Shirah: Data Visualizer

Cindy Starr: Data Visualizer

Walt Feimer: Animator

John Blackwell: Animator

Jonathan North: Animator

Chris Meaney: Animator

Jasper Halekas: Scientist

Skylar Shaver: Scientist

Abigail Azari: Scientist

Yingjuan Ma: Scientist

Shannon Curry: Scientist

Willow Reed: Communications

Nancy Neal-Jones: Public Affairs

Duration: 2 minutes, 46 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 11, 2023

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