A giant plasma burst from the hidden far side of the Sun recently caused a large coronal mass ejection to slam into Mercury, potentially causing invisible X-ray auroras around the planet’s rocky surface.

Recently, a giant fiery explosion approximately 40 times the size of the Earth erupted from the hidden far side of the Sun. The explosion sent a huge cloud of plasma into space; this cloud then struck Mercury, scraping the planet’s rocky surface and potentially causing “X-ray auroras” on the unprotected world.

The eruption was likely triggered by a powerful solar flare that occurred around 7pm ET on March 9. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) detected a large, partially hazy filament of plasma bursting outward from the northeastern edge of the sun. Judging by the amount of visible plasma, the explosion likely spanned approximately 310,000 miles (500,000 kilometers) wide.

SDO data showed that the explosion, which likely left behind a large “canyon of fire” on the sun’s surface, also caused a large coronal mass ejection (CME), a rapidly moving cloud of magnetized plasma and radiation, that collided with Mercury. On March 10.

Mercury is frequently blasted by CMEs due to its proximity to our star. As a result of this bombardment, the small planet had no atmosphere left and was completely exposed to these solar storms.

When electrons from the CME hit Mercury’s unprotected surface, they slow down rapidly. This slowing down causes the particles to release energy in the form of X-rays, which scientists can detect from Earth. The result is an aurora-like phenomenon that is visible in X-rays rather than visible light.

The massive explosion is the latest sign that the explosive peak of the Sun’s nearly 11-year solar cycle, known as solar maximum, may have begun much earlier than first thought.

During solar maximum, solar flares and other solar storms flare more frequently and more violently as the Sun’s magnetic field weakens and eventually reverses. Scientists are already seeing signs of this.

Last month, researchers observed some of the largest solar storms of the current cycle; these included an X-class monster flare, the most powerful in more than six years, and a plasma cloud that exploded 15 times the height of the Earth. south pole of the sun.

One of the biggest concerns during solar maximum is that researchers cannot properly monitor the far side of the Sun; This can produce giant sunspots that cause unexpected solar storms like the one that hit Mercury. As the Sun rotates, it is possible for these sunspots to return to Earth, exposing our planet to outbursts and CMEs. For example, in January 2023, a hidden sunspot released an X-class flare without warning that narrowly missed Earth.

One of NASA’s secret weapons to prevent these invisible dark spots from appearing is the Perseverance rover, which can sometimes peer into the far side of the Sun from its home on Mars. But this only works when Earth and Mars are on opposite sides of the Sun.