ESA Science & Technology - Location of Aurora on Mars

Map of the radial component of B, the martian crustal magnetic field, at 200km altitude. Values are deduced from Mars Global Surveyor aerobraking and science phasing orbits.

White dashed line, Mars Express position during orbit 716 (starts at the top); white solid line, position of the Mars Nearest Point (MNP) . Black dashed and solid lines show Mars Express position and MNP for orbit 734, during which no auroral emission was recorded.

Magenta dashed line, Line of Sight (LOS) of SPICAM at 535 s after start; the dark rectangle on this line is our estimate of the position of the centre of the aurora along the LOS, and its uncertainty. The auroral region might be more elongated along this LOS.