The red planet Mars turns green this week – Here’s what’s causing it

Mars Could Light Up with Rare Global Auroras This Week

Our rusty neighbour, the red planet Mars, is about to glow green soon. Curious how long this emerald show will last and why it happens? Let’s dive into Mars’ surprising new light. Scientists say a major solar storm may soon light up the entire Martian sky with a rare global aurora.

Mars in the Path of Solar Blast

On 14 May, a powerful X2.7-class solar flare erupted from the sun. This was the strongest flare of the year so far. It sent a huge wave of radiation speeding across the solar system. Following the flare, a coronal mass ejection — or CME — shot from the sun’s surface. This CME carries supercharged solar particles, racing through space.

NASA’s data suggests the CME is heading for Mars. Spaceweather.com reports the solar wind surge could strike the planet on 18 May. Earth, however, is not in the blast zone. Mars, without a strong magnetic shield, may glow with auroras across its sky. Experts predict the effect could stretch across the planet’s entire night side.

Perseverance Rover Captures Green Auroras

This prediction follows a new achievement by NASA’s Perseverance rover. Last year, the rover detected green auroras on Mars for the first time ever. The historic detection came after a solar storm on 15 March 2024. That flare triggered widespread auroras throughout the solar system, including Mars.

NASA shared the discovery on 15 May, along with stunning images. This marks the first time auroras were spotted from a planet’s surface beyond Earth. Elise Knutsen, a postdoctoral researcher from the University of Oslo, led the study. She said the discovery brings hope that future astronauts might witness auroras on Mars.

The first visible-light image of green aurora on Mars (left), taken by the Mastcam-Z instrument on NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover. On the right is a comparison image of the night sky of Mars without aurora but featuring the Martian moon Deimos. The moonlit Martian night sky, lit up mostly by Mars’ nearer and larger moon Phobos (outside the frame) has a reddish-brown hue due to the dust in the atmosphere, so when green auroral light is added, the sky takes on a green-yellow tone, as seen in the left image. (Image: NASA)

Why Martian Auroras Look Different

Auroras form when solar particles meet a planet’s magnetic field. Mars lacks a strong global field, and its atmosphere is thin. This causes solar particles to hit the atmosphere directly. The result is solar energetic particle auroras that light up the entire sky.

Until now, only ultraviolet auroras were seen from orbit. This time, visible light cameras on Perseverance captured the glow. Knutsen explained that scientists had chosen a strong CME. It injected enough particles into Mars' atmosphere to create visible auroras. The SuperCam and Mastcam-Z instruments caught the dazzling green light. Orbiters MAVEN and Mars Express also confirmed the event.

Solar Activity Still Running High

The sun is likely moving past the peak of its solar cycle. This 11-year cycle is when the sun’s magnetic activity reaches its height. NASA and NOAA confirmed solar maximum began in October 2024. Yet the years that follow may still bring strong solar events.

As the sun remains active, Mars could see more sky shows. With rovers and orbiters ready, the red planet may soon light up again.