The planet Mars, as observed by NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission's Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph, on July 13, 2016. The ultraviolet colors of the planet have been rendered in false color. The ultraviolet (UV) view gives several new perspectives on Mars. Valles Marineris, a two-thousand-mile canyon system, appears prominently across the middle of the image as a blue gash. The greenish cast of the planet as a whole is a combination of the reflection of the surface plus atmospheric scattering. The three tall Tharsis volcanoes appear near the left edge, dotted by white clouds forming as the winds flow over them. Bright white polar caps appear at both poles, typical for this season, in which there is a transition from southern-hemisphere winter to summer. The magenta-colored region visible at the south pole shows where ozone is absorbing ultraviolet light. While ozone tends to be destroyed by chemical processes in the winter on Earth, different atmospheric chemistry on Mars causes it to build up in the winter there.