NASA’s 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter has captured a breathtaking new panorama of one of the Red Planet’s largest volcanoes, Arsia Mons. The image shows the volcano poking through a layer of clouds just before dawn, offering scientists a unique perspective on the Martian horizon.
The panorama is part of a series of high-altitude images of the Martian horizon taken by the Odyssey orbiter since 2023. The spacecraft rotates 90 degrees in orbit to capture these images, allowing scientists to see dust and water ice cloud layers, as well as changes over the course of seasons.
“We’re seeing some really significant seasonal differences in these horizon images,” said planetary scientist Michael D. Smith of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “It’s giving us new clues to how Mars’ atmosphere evolves over time.”
Understanding Mars’ clouds is crucial for understanding the planet’s weather and how phenomena like dust storms occur. These findings can benefit future missions, including entry, descent, and landing operations.
The image also reveals Arsia Mons, which stands 12 miles high and is roughly twice as tall as Earth’s largest volcano, Mauna Loa. The clouds forming around the mountain are especially thick when Mars is farthest from the Sun, a phenomenon known as aphelion.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in collaboration with Lockheed Martin Space and Arizona State University, manages and operates the Odyssey mission to study the Martian surface and atmosphere.
Source: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-mars-orbiter-captures-volcano-peeking-above-morning-cloud-tops