![An illusration of solar wind from the sun hitting Mars](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mUUcA77M8MRaTigjgWg9f7-320-80.jpg)
'Almost unbelievable': Rare void from the sun briefly blew up Mars' atmosphere last year, and it could happen to Earth too
On Dec. 26, 2022, NASA's MAVEN Orbiter witnessed Mars' magnetic shield and atmosphere drastically "balloon" outward by thousands of miles. The sudden expansion was triggered by a rare gap in solar wind.