Scientists have shown off the Red Planet in a new light with the unveiling of two incredible images of Mars. NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) mission acquired "stunning views" of Mars in two ultraviolet images taken at different points along our neighbouring planet’s orbit around the Sun.
By viewing the planet in ultraviolet wavelengths, scientists say they can gain insight into the Martian atmosphere and view surface features in remarkable ways. MAVEN’s Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) instrument obtained these global views of Mars in 2022 and 2023 when the planet was near opposite ends of its elliptical orbit.
The IUVS instrument measures wavelengths between 110 and 340 nanometers, outside the visible spectrum. To make these wavelengths visible to the human eye and easier to interpret, the images are rendered with the varying brightness levels of three ultraviolet wavelength ranges represented as red, green, and blue.
