MAVEN sees auroras on Mars (VIDEO)
Caption
The purple color in this animated GIF shows auroras across Mars' nightside as detected by the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph instrument aboard NASA's MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) orbiter. The brighter the purple, the more auroras were present. MAVEN took these images between May 14 and 20, 2024, as energetic particles from a solar storm were arriving at Mars. The sequence pauses at the end, when the most energetic particles arrived and overwhelmed the instrument with noise. MAVEN made the observations as it orbited below Mars, looking up at the nightside of the planet. (Mars' south pole can be seen on the right, in full sunlight.)
Credit
NASA/University of Colorado/LASP
Usage Restrictions
No restrictions.
License
Public Domain