NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission has unveiled two captivating ultraviolet images of the Martian landscape. These images, captured during different stages of Mars' orbit in 2022 and 2023, provide invaluable insights into the planet's atmosphere and surface features.
Ultraviolet Perspectives
The MAVEN spacecraft captured Mars through the lens of ultraviolet spectrums. These images, credited to NASA/LASP/CU Boulder, derive from wavelengths measured between 110 and 340 nanometers, beyond the range visible to the human eye. The images were then altered to make these wavelengths discernible, using varying brightness levels of three ultraviolet wavelength ranges represented as red, green, and blue.
In this color scheme, atmospheric ozone appears purple, with clouds and fog depicted as white or blue. The surface may appear light brown or green, depending on the image optimization to enhance contrast and detail.
MAVEN's Martian Chronicles
MAVEN's first image, captured in July 2022, depicts the southern hemisphere summer season of Mars. The image showcases the Argyre Basin, filled with atmospheric haze, and Valles Marineris canyons filled with clouds. The southern polar cap is also visible, shrinking due to the relative heat of the summer. This image also explains MAVEN's findings of increased hydrogen leakage from Mars due to summer warming and dust storms.
The second image, taken in January 2023, showcases the northern hemisphere of Mars after it had passed the farthest point in its orbit from the Sun. This image highlights the rapid seasonal changes in the northern polar region, causing an abundance of white clouds. Moreover, it reveals ozone accumulation during the cold polar nights of the northern winter, which is later destroyed in the spring due to chemical reactions with water vapor.
Launched in November 2013, MAVEN entered Mars' orbit in September 2014. Its mission is to study the Martian upper atmosphere, ionosphere, and interactions with the Sun and solar wind to understand the planet's atmospheric loss. This information holds the key to understanding Mars' atmospheric and climatic history, its liquid water, and its potential habitability. The MAVEN team is eagerly looking forward to celebrating the spacecraft's 10th anniversary in September 2024.
Source: NASA
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