NASA’s MAVEN Spacecraft Stuns with Ultraviolet Views of Red Planet – NASA Mars Exploration

NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Ambiance and Unstable EvolutioN) mission acquired gorgeous views of Mars in two ultraviolet pictures taken at completely different factors alongside our neighboring planet’s orbit across the Solar.

By viewing the planet in ultraviolet wavelengths, scientists can acquire perception into the Martian ambiance and consider floor options in outstanding methods.

MAVEN’s Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) instrument obtained these world views of Mars in 2022 and 2023 when the planet was close to reverse ends of its elliptical orbit.

The IUVS instrument measures wavelengths between 110 and 340 nanometers, exterior the seen spectrum. To make these wavelengths seen to the human eye and simpler to interpret, the photographs are rendered in false colour, with the various brightness ranges of three ultraviolet wavelength ranges represented as purple, inexperienced, and blue. On this colour scheme, atmospheric ozone seems purple, whereas clouds and hazes seem white or blue. The floor can seem tan or inexperienced, relying on how the photographs have been optimized to extend distinction and present element.

The primary picture was taken in July 2022 in the course of the southern hemisphere’s summer season season, which happens when Mars passes closet to the Solar. The summer season season is brought on by the lean of the planet’s rotational axis, just like seasons on Earth. Argyre Basin, considered one of Mars’ deepest craters, seems at backside left full of atmospheric haze (depicted right here as pale pink). The deep canyons of Valles Marineris seem at prime left full of clouds (coloured tan on this picture). The southern polar ice cap is seen at backside in white, shrinking from the relative heat of summer season. Southern summer season warming and mud storms drive water vapor to very excessive altitudes, explaining MAVEN’s discovery of enhanced hydrogen loss from Mars presently of 12 months.

The second picture is of Mars’ northern hemisphere and was taken in January 2023 after Mars had handed the farthest level in its orbit from the Solar. The quickly altering seasons within the north polar area trigger an abundance of white clouds. The deep canyons of Valles Marineris could be seen in tan at decrease left, together with many craters. Ozone, which seems magenta on this UV view, has constructed up in the course of the northern winter’s chilly polar nights. It’s then destroyed in northern spring by chemical reactions with water vapor, which is restricted to low altitudes of the ambiance presently of 12 months.

MAVEN launched in November 2013 and entered Mars’ orbit in September 2014. The mission’s objective is to discover the planet’s higher ambiance, ionosphere, and interactions with the Solar and photo voltaic wind to discover the lack of the Martian ambiance to area. Understanding atmospheric loss provides scientists perception into the historical past of Mars’ ambiance and local weather, liquid water, and planetary habitability. The MAVEN crew is getting ready to rejoice the spacecraft’s tenth 12 months at Mars in September 2024.

MAVEN’s principal investigator is predicated on the College of California, Berkeley, whereas NASA’s Goddard Area Flight Heart in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the MAVEN mission. Lockheed Martin Area constructed the spacecraft and is chargeable for mission operations. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California supplies navigation and Deep Area Community assist. The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Area Physics on the College of Colorado Boulder is chargeable for managing science operations and public outreach and communications.

Willow Reed

MAVEN Communications Lead

Laboratory for Atmospheric and Area Physics, College of Colorado Boulder

Nancy Jones

NASA’s Goddard Area Flight Heart, Greenbelt, Md.