A Nasa rover on Mars was struck by charged particles from a solar storm that swept the Red Planet last month.
The cameras on the Curiosity rover, which landed there 12 years ago, recorded white streaks and specks falling “like snow” on May 20, as charged particles hit the lenses.
Nasa said that if astronauts had been standing next to the rover at the time, they would have received a radiation dose of 8,100 micrograys.
“Mars scientists have been anticipating epic solar storms since the Sun entered a period of peak activity called solar maximum earlier this year,” Nasa said on Monday.
“Over the past month, Nasa’s Mars rovers and orbiters have provided researchers with front-row seats to a series of solar flares and coronal mass ejections that have reached Mars – in some cases, even causing Martian auroras.”
The camera on the agency's Odyssey orbiter, which is used for orientation, was also inundated by energy from solar particles, putting it temporarily off line.
Mars has a very thin atmosphere that leaves it vulnerable to charged particles from the Sun.
Earth has also been struck by particles in the past few months, with the most powerful solar storm in more than two decades on May 10 that resulted in spectacular auroras from the UK to Tasmania.
"Our home planet is shielded from charged particles by a robust magnetic field, which normally limits auroras to regions near the poles," the space agency said.
"Mars lost its internally generated magnetic field in the ancient past, so there’s no protection from the barrage of energetic particles.
"When charged particles hit the Martian atmosphere, it results in auroras that engulf the entire planet."
OTHER IPL BOWLING RECORDS
Best bowling figures: 6-14 – Sohail Tanvir (for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in 2008)
Best average: 16.36 – Andrew Tye
Best economy rate: 6.53 – Sunil Narine
Best strike-rate: 12.83 – Andrew Tye
Best strike-rate in an innings: 1.50 – Suresh Raina (for Chennai Super Kings against Rajasthan Royals in 2011)
Most runs conceded in an innings: 70 – Basil Thampi (for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018)
Most hat-tricks: 3 – Amit Mishra
Most dot-balls: 1,128 – Harbhajan Singh
Most maiden overs bowled: 14 – Praveen Kumar
Most four-wicket hauls: 6 – Sunil Narine
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
