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Article by: Andacs Robert Eugen, on 03 August 2023, at 10:13 am PDT

ESA reported yesterday a solar storm that erupted from the Sun on October 28, 2021 and was measured simultaneously on Earth, the Moon, and Mars for the first time in history. This event, which is known as a ground-level enhancement (GLE), is a rare occurrence that only happens about once every five years.

GLEs are caused by solar flares, which are powerful explosions on the Sun's surface. These flares can send clouds of charged particles hurtling toward Earth at speeds of up to millions of miles per hour. When these particles interact with Earth's magnetic field, they can cause a variety of effects, including power outages, communication disruptions, and even damage to satellites.

The GLE that occurred on October 28, 2021, was a relatively mild event, but it was still powerful enough to be detected in all three worlds. On Earth, the storm caused a brief increase in the number of auroras, or northern lights. On the Moon, the storm increased the radiation levels on the surface, but it did not cause any significant damage. On Mars, the storm was even weaker, but it still provided scientists with valuable data about how the planet's atmosphere protects its surface from solar radiation.

The unit for the absorption of radiation is 700 milligray, and as a comparison, if an astronaut receives more than 10 gray, they are extremely unlikely to survive more than two weeks, according to ESA. 

But, during the event that occurred on October 28, 2021, there was a dose of only 31 milligray in the lunar orbit, as measured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.