Mars' Atmosphere Inflates as Solar Wind Disappears

Mars' atmosphere experienced a rare event last December when the solar wind, the stream of charged particles from the sun, stopped blowing for two days. This caused the atmosphere on Mars' sun-facing side to swell by nearly four times its usual size. The event was recorded by NASA's MAVEN orbiter, providing valuable insights into the dynamics of Mars' atmosphere and its response to solar events. Scientists believe that similar events may have been common during Mars' early evolution, which could help explain the planet's drying up and loss of liquid water.