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  Comet Siding Spring vs Martian Magnetic FieldMar 15, 2016 9:47 PM PDT | url
 
Added 1 new A* page:NASA's recent Close Comet Flyby Threw Mars’ Magnetic Field Into Chaos article describes the effect comet Siding Spring's 2014 flyby of the planet Mars had on the red planet's atmosphere and magnetic field as observed by their MAVEN ("Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution") spacecraft, which had entered Martian orbit just weeks earlier. The comet's core passed within "140,000 kilometers (roughly 87,000 miles)" of the planet, more than close enough for its million-kilometer-wide envelope of gas—the outer coma—to surround the planet, bathing it in charged particles: "The comet's powerful magnetic field temporarily merged with, and overwhelmed, the planet's weak field"; "the encounter blew away part of Mars’ upper atmosphere, much like a strong solar storm would."
 
 
 
 
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