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Home
About
Science Team
Principal Investigator
Institutional Partners
Meet the MAVENites
Spacecraft
Mission Timeline
FAQs
Science
Science Orbit
Instruments
Solar Wind Electron Analyzer (SWEA)
Solar Wind Ion Analyzer (SWIA)
Suprathermal and Thermal Ion Composition (STATIC)
Solar Energetic Particle (SEP)
Langmuir Probe and Waves (LPW)
Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) Monitor
Magnetometer (MAG)
Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS)
IUVS Imaging Highlights
Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer (NGIMS)
Radio Occultation Science Experiment (ROSE)
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Science Data Center
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Girls Go to Mars
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2015 New Media Professional Development Workshop
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IUVS reveals cloud formation on Mars
IUVS reveals cloud formation on Mars
MAVEN’s Imaging UltraViolet Spectrograph obtained these images of rapid cloud formation on Mars from July 9-10, 2016. The ultraviolet colors of the planet have been rendered in false color, to show what we would see with ultraviolet-sensitive eyes. The series interleaves MAVEN images to show about 7 hours of Mars rotation during this period, just over a quarter of Mars’ day. The left part of the planet in morning and the right side in afternoon. Mars’ prominent volcanoes, topped with white clouds, can be seen moving across the disk. Mars’ tallest volcano, Olympus Mons, appears as a prominent dark region near the top of the images, with a small white cloud at the summit that grows during the day. Olympus Mons appears dark because the volcano rises up above much of the hazy atmosphere which makes the rest of the planet appear lighter. Three more volcanoes appear in a diagonal row, with their cloud cover merging to span up to a thousand miles by the end of the day. These images are particularly interesting because they show how rapidly and extensively the clouds topping the volcanoes form in the afternoon. Similar processes occur at Earth, with the flow of winds over mountains creating clouds. Afternoon cloud formation is a common occurrence in the American West, especially during the summer. (Courtesy NASA/University of Colorado-LASP/MAVEN-IUVS)
Main Menu
Home
About
Science Team
Principal Investigator
Institutional Partners
Meet the MAVENites
Spacecraft
Mission Timeline
FAQs
Science
Science Orbit
Instruments
Solar Wind Electron Analyzer (SWEA)
Solar Wind Ion Analyzer (SWIA)
Suprathermal and Thermal Ion Composition (STATIC)
Solar Energetic Particle (SEP)
Langmuir Probe and Waves (LPW)
Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) Monitor
Magnetometer (MAG)
Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS)
IUVS Imaging Highlights
Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer (NGIMS)
Radio Occultation Science Experiment (ROSE)
Released Results
Publications
Science Data Center
MAVEN Science Spotlights
Space Weather
Education & Outreach
For Educators
MAVEN Educator Ambassador Project
Red Planet: Read, Write, Explore!
Afterschool & Summer Programs
Invisible Mars: Science On a Sphere
Imagine Mars through Native Eyes
Girls Go to Mars
Public Outreach
MAVEN Outreach Webinars
New Media Professional Development
2015 New Media Professional Development Workshop
MAVEN Space Valentines 2022
Going to Mars campaign
Message to Mars contest
Educator recognition selections
Student art contest
About the first-place entry
School-based awards
Multimedia
Spacecraft Images
Team Images
Videos
News & Events
Team Blog
MAVEN in the News
Events
Media Contacts