How warm will mars get during solar maximum?

Question

It is my understanding that sunspots have a major effect on invironment, when sunspot activity is high the world heats up, when it is low to none the Earth enters its ice ages. So, sunspots must have a big effect on mars too. Maybe mars is in an ice age!

Answer 1

the suns cycle is 11 years from maximum to minimum back to maximum

and mars is farther away from the sun then we are.... we'd experience far more effects of solar maximums then mars would.... but you don't really notice THAT much of a diffrence here on earth do you?

solar maximum isn't really about heat... it has to do with the suns magnetic lines becoming distorted, building up huge ammounts of energy... then we're prone to larger and more frequent solar flares....

even then, the heat isn't really a problem... it's the electromagnetic radation which puts us in danger...

Answer 2

The amount of heat the sun emits during solar maximum is not much greater than at solar minimum.

Remember, that the sun's solar cycle is only 11 years long, and there have not been any noticeable differences in temperature on Mars in the 30 years we have been observing Mars in detail.

Answer 3

Solar heat energy varies, but sunspots are a different phenomenon.  Some sources say that Mars' polar icecaps are shrinking the same way our glaciers are melting...  but I doubt that is due to human influences.  Maybe solar heat output is increasing at the present time.  If that's so, then maybe you and I aren't as much of the global warming problem as some would have us believe.

Anyway, sunspots have a major effect, but not on solar heat output... much more on things like radio propogation, etc.

Answer 4

Mars gets to about 27 Degrees Celsius at maximum....which is fairly nice weather here on earth.  Sun spots do not have a serious effect on climate like you think.  The sun has an eleven year cycle with sun spots and earth enters its ice age about every 10,000 years or so.  Sun spots are usually the cause of black outs and telecommunication problems on earth.  Magnetic activity from these sunspots can accelerate particles near the sun and eject them towards earth in what is called a coronal mass ejection.  These high-energy particles usually reach earth in a few days and are the cause of these black outs and telcom problems.  All ice ages on earth were directly related to carbon dioxide and methane gas levels in the atmosphere.  Core samples taken from the antarctic have proven this already.  Hope this helps answer your question.  Goodluck!

btw:  this eleven year cycle of sunspots is caused by the different parts of the sun rotating faster than other parts and twisting and distorting it's magnetic field.