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Visualizing a Solar Storm's Effect on Mars Atmosphere

Artist's rendering of a solar storm hitting Mars and stripping ions from the planet's upper atmosphere.

November 05, 2015

This illustration depicts charged particles from a solar storm stripping away charged particles of Mars' atmosphere, one of the processes of Martian atmosphere loss studied by NASA's MAVEN mission, beginning in 2014. Unlike Earth, Mars lacks a global magnetic field that could deflect charged particles emanating from the Sun.

Credits

NASA/GSFC

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