NASA has released stunning Ultraviolet Views of Mars from MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) spacecraft mission.

Recorded by the MAVEN spacecraft’s Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph instrument in July 2022 (left) and January 2023, three otherwise invisible ultraviolet bands are mapped into red, green, and blue colors.

That color scheme presents the Red Planet’s surface features in shades of tan and green. Haze and clouds appear white or blue, while high-altitude ozone takes on a dramatic purple hue.

On the left, Mars’ south polar ice cap is in brilliant white at the bottom but shrinking during the southern hemisphere’s summer season. On the right, the northern hemisphere’s polar region is seen shrouded in clouds and atmospheric ozone.

Images credit NASA