NASA’s MAVEN Spacecraft Amazes with Ultraviolet Images of Mars – NASA’s Mars Exploration Mission

NASA’s MAVEN mission has captured two ultraviolet images of Mars at different points in the planet’s orbit around the Sun. The images were taken using the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) instrument, which measures wavelengths outside the visible spectrum. By rendering the images in false color, scientists can interpret the varying brightness levels of three ultraviolet wavelength ranges as red, green, and blue. The images reveal surface features and atmospheric conditions on Mars, including ozone, clouds, and haze. MAVEN launched in 2013 and entered Mars’ orbit in 2014 to explore the planet’s upper atmosphere, ionosphere, and interactions with the Sun and solar wind.

Courtesy of Nasa