After Earth... The Solar Storm is Heading Towards Mars

The strongest solar magnetic storm to hit Earth on May 14, caused by a sunspot named AR3664, which is about 15 times larger than Earth, has turned away from our planet and is heading towards Mars. The storm will direct solar plasma eruptions and the magnetic field, known as coronal mass ejections, towards the Red Planet, according to Space.com. Dr. Ed Thiemann, a solar physicist at the University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), told Space.com: "Based on past events, we expect the flare to heat up quickly and ionize Mars' upper atmosphere, potentially doubling the temperature of the upper atmosphere for a few hours and expanding the sunlit half of the planet by several kilometers." He noted that the coronal mass ejection released by the flare is directed towards Mars and may cause global-scale auroras and activate the upper ionosphere and magnetic field.