6 November 2015

Paths of ions escaping Mars' atmosphere due to solar wind radiation. The energy of the particles is illustrated by a brown-to-white gradient. The most energetic ions (white) create a plume, seen at the top.

Data visualization: Valerie Altounian/Science; Data: X. Fang and the MAVEN science team

Made with Python, Cinema 4D

Gold EXCEL award in Journal Cover Design, Association Media and Publishing.

For more on the process behind creating this data visualization, see http://scim.ag/maven-cover.