The MAVEN echelle is calibrated at Lyman-alpha using observations of interplanetary hydrogen.

What is it about?

This paper is about calibrating the MAVEN Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrometer instrument using diffuse emission of Interplanetary Hydrogen as a standard candle rather than standard stars that are considered as point sources. This is due to the diffuse nature of the emission features at Mars.

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Why is it important?

It is important to get an accurate calibration of the IUVS instrument to be able to derive accurate brightness values in standard flux units. These measurements can then be interpreted using models to derive physical properties of the observed species at Mars.