Giant Volcano On Mars? NASA Captures 'Arsia Mons' Twice As Tall As Everest

In a breathtaking glimpse beyond Earth’s horizons, NASA has revealed a jaw-dropping image from Mars, featuring a volcano towering nearly twice the height of any peak on our planet. The photograph was snapped at dawn by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter, offering an ethereal view of Arsia Mons, a massive Martian volcano rising through the planet's early morning cloud cover.

This surreal shot not only showcases the raw beauty of Mars but also opens a fascinating door into its volatile geological history and atmospheric behaviour.

Take a look:

A giant revealed above the clouds

NASA's long-running Mars Odyssey orbiter, which has been studying the Red Planet since 2001, recently captured a stunning image of Arsia Mons, a massive volcano that rises 20 kilometres into the Martian sky.

Taken on May 2, the photo was captured using the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) and shows the volcano emerging from a green-hued haze in the upper atmosphere at dawn. With a width of 120 kilometres, the summit caldera of Arsia Mons is larger than many of Earth's volcanic formations.

To put its size into perspective, Arsia Mons is nearly double the height of Mauna Loa, Earth's largest volcano, which stands 9 kilometres above the seafloor in Hawaii.

“We picked Arsia Mons hoping we would see the summit poke above the early morning clouds. And it didn't disappoint,” said Jonathon Hill, operations lead for THEMIS at Arizona State University in Tempe.

The science behind the image

This volcano, part of the Tharsis region, is reportedly the southernmost and cloudiest of the three major volcanoes located there. The presence of dense clouds is not unusual, especially during aphelion, the time when Mars is farthest from the Sun. According to NASA, "Understanding Mars' clouds is particularly important for understanding Martian weather and how phenomena like dust storms occur."

To capture such rare visuals, the Odyssey orbiter performs a 90-degree rotation while in orbit, an unusual manoeuvre that allows its surface-focused camera to photograph the horizon instead. This technique helps researchers observe dust and water-ice clouds layered across Mars' atmosphere and detect their seasonal changes.

"We're seeing some really significant seasonal differences in these horizon images," said planetary scientist Michael D. Smith from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre in Greenbelt, Maryland. "It's giving us new clues to how Mars' atmosphere evolves over time."

Why it matters

The image of Arsia Mons isn’t just visually stunning; it’s scientifically valuable. It offers insights into the planet’s climate, atmospheric dynamics, and geological structure. These revelations come at a time when researchers are more invested than ever in decoding Mars, especially as future manned missions and exploration programmes edge closer to reality.