NASA’s MAVEN gives unprecedented ultraviolet views of Mars!

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Oct 18, 2016: In a latest, NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN) that has been studying the Martian atmosphere since 2013 has beamed back some never-before-seen pictures of the Red Planet.

New images from MAVEN show the ultraviolet glow from the Martian atmosphere in unprecedented detail, revealing dynamic, previously invisible behavior.

As per NASA, they include the first images of ’nightglow’ that can be used to show how winds circulate at high altitudes. Additionally, dayside ultraviolet imagery from the spacecraft shows how ozone amounts change over the seasons and how afternoon clouds form over giant Martian volcanoes.

"Maven obtained hundreds of such images in recent months, giving some of the best high-resolution ultraviolet coverage of Mars ever obtained," said Nick Schneider of the University of Colorado, in a statement.

NASA’s Maven spacecraft arrived at Mars on September 22, 2014 after a year-long journey from Earth. Maven is the first mission dedicated to studying Mars’ upper atmosphere. Mission goals include determining how the planet’s atmosphere and water, presumed to have once been substantial, were lost over time.