Giant solar eruption that hit Earth, Moon, and Mars was first to do so

The solar event described in the study is a “ground level enhancement,” which is the name for the rare event when particles from the Sun are energetic enough to pass through our planet’s protective magnetic field. Neither the Moon nor Mars generate their own magnetic fields and therefore, solar particles can easily reach their surfaces. But Mars does have a thin atmosphere that stops a lot of the lower-energy solar particles and slows down the higher-energy ones.

With the future of human space exploration focused on the Moon and Mars, it is vital to understand these solar events and the effect they can have on the human body, according to the European Space Agency. If astronauts absorb a radiation dose of more than 700 milligray, they may face radiation sickness through the destruction of bone marrow. This could cause symptoms like infections and internal bleeding. A milligray is a unit for measuring the absorption of radiation.

If they receive more than 10 gray, then there is next to no chance that they will survive more than two weeks. While the Apollo missions were active in 1972, a solar outburst was strong enough to give such a dose of radiation to astronauts on the lunar surface. But it thankfully happened in August after the Apollo 16 mission and before the Apollo 17 mission.