The Mars Odyssey spacecraft orbiting the Red Planet has captured an amazing panorama. It shows one of the world’s highest volcanoes, Arsia Mons, rising above the clouds.
Panorama by the Mars Odyssey
In early May 2025, the Mars Odyssey spacecraft took several images of the cloud cover in the Martian atmosphere, which were later used to create a panorama. The centerpiece of the panorama is the Arsia Mons, which rises above the white surface.
Mars Odyssey is a true veteran of Mars exploration. It was launched into space back in 2001. It was one of the first vehicles to systematically image the surface of the Red Planet from its orbit. During its operation, it managed to accomplish not only the main mission but also several additional ones.
Since 2023, it has been studying the atmosphere of Mars. To do this, he was transferred to a low orbit and turned at an oblique angle to the planet’s surface so that his camera could look through the upper layers of its atmosphere. The next stage of this research was the photo of Arsia Mons.
Arsia Mons
Arsia Mons is one of the largest volcanoes on Mars, located in its northern hemisphere. It is the southernmost of three giant mountains that line up almost in a single line and together form the Tharsis Montes.
Arsia is 20 kilometers high. That is, it is more than twice as tall as the highest volcano, Mauna Loa, even if we count its height from the seabed. The clouds that surround it are a characteristic feature of this place.
They are formed when warm air rises the slopes of Arsia and then cools sharply. This process is especially noticeable when Mars is at the farthest point of its orbit from the Sun, the aphelion. Therefore, they are called the Aphelion cloud belt.
In the panorama, in addition to the clouds and the top of the mountain, you can also see a white stripe. This is the beginning of Valles Marineris, the largest canyon in the Solar System.
Source: phys.org
