Martian Aurora 25 Times Brighter Than Prior Brightest
These profiles show the brightness of aurora emission in Mars' atmosphere at different altitudes. The data are from observations by the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph instrument (IUVS) on NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution orbiter, or MAVEN. The solid black profile on the right shows the aurora during a September 2017 solar storm. Barely visible along the vertical axis is a dashed profile representing the previous brightest aurora seen by MAVEN, which occurred in March 2015. The recent event is more than 25 times brighter than the previous brightest aurora seen by MAVEN, which has been orbiting Mars since September 2014. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21857
Usage Rights
Most NASA images are in the public domain and free to use. Credit NASA as the source. Check NASA's media usage guidelines for details. Images featuring identifiable individuals may require additional permissions.
Details
NASA ID
PIA21857
Date Created
September 29, 2017
Center
JPL
Media Type
image
Downloads
Download this image in multiple resolutions. All NASA media are free for public use.