A spectacular new image from NASA’s longest-running Mars orbiter has captured a breathtaking view of a giant Martian volcano rising above the morning clouds.
The volcano, called Arsia Mons, is one of the largest on the red planet and is seen poking through a layer of clouds just before sunrise, creating a rare and beautiful sight.
The image was taken by the Mars Odyssey orbiter, which has been circling Mars since 2001.
In May 2024, the spacecraft snapped the photo using a special camera called THEMIS, short for Thermal Emission Imaging System.
Although the camera was originally designed to study the Martian surface, NASA scientists recently began turning the spacecraft 90 degrees to capture images of the planet’s horizon.
This new angle helps scientists learn more about Mars’s upper atmosphere, including clouds made of water ice and layers of dust.
Arsia Mons is part of a group of three volcanoes known as the Tharsis Montes, or Tharsis Mountains.
These volcanoes are so tall that their peaks can reach above the cloud layers that form on Mars in the early morning.
Arsia Mons, the southernmost of the trio, is also the cloudiest. Standing about 20 kilometers (12 miles) high, it’s more than twice as tall as Mauna Loa, the largest volcano on Earth.
The recent image shows Arsia Mons rising through a thick band of clouds known as the aphelion cloud belt.
These clouds form when Mars is farthest from the Sun, a time known as aphelion. As winds push moist air up the side of the volcano, the air expands and cools quickly, creating clouds that wrap around the mountain.
This dramatic scene is now visible thanks to Odyssey’s new way of imaging the horizon.
Scientists are thrilled by what they’re learning from these images. According to Michael D. Smith from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the horizon views are revealing clear seasonal changes in the Martian atmosphere.
Understanding how clouds form and behave on Mars can help researchers better predict weather events like dust storms. This knowledge will be valuable for future missions, especially when landing spacecraft on the planet.
Odyssey’s THEMIS camera also sees Mars in infrared light, which helps scientists locate underground water ice—an important resource for future astronauts.
It can even study Mars’s two small moons, Phobos and Deimos, by analyzing their surface materials.
With each new image, Odyssey continues to provide a deeper understanding of Mars—and some truly breathtaking views.
