Mars, known as the Red Planet, sometimes shines emerald green during rare auroras. In March 2024, NASA’s Perseverance rover captured the first visible aurora from the Martian surface. Now, scientists have learned how to predict these glowing events by tracking solar storms. This breakthrough could help protect future astronauts from harmful radiation.
Researchers programmed the rover to scan the sky after coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the Sun head toward Mars. These violent solar storms throw charged particles into Mars’s thin atmosphere. When they strike oxygen, the planet glows green. The faster the CME, the more likely it will cause a visible aurora. Because it takes three days to send commands to Mars, predicting strong storms in advance is vital. After several failed attempts, scientists finally succeeded by targeting faster, stronger CMEs, capturing two green auroras.
On Mars, auroras occur around 100 kilometers above the ground. Unlike Earth, which has polar lights, Mars lost its magnetic field long ago, so auroras can light up the entire sky. While the green glow is stunning, the same solar storms release dangerous radiation. By forecasting them, astronauts will know when to take shelter — making aurora predictions both beautiful and lifesaving.
