The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
Go to topicThank you for liking
You have already liked this page, you can only like it once!
This image shows an artist’s impression of what nightglow might look like to an astronaut in the polar winter regions of Mars at night. The green glow occurs when oxygen atoms high up in the atmosphere combine to form oxygen molecules.
This simulated view was created using a real but darkened image of the martian surface from the panoramic camera of NASA’s Opportunity rover, and a synthetic nightglow corresponding to the real colour of the oxygen emission.
More information about the publication on Nature Astronomy on this web story.