APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Volcanos on Mars: Elysium Region
Explanation: This “synthetic color” image swath of the Elysium Volcanic Region of Mars was recorded by Mars Global Surveyor's wide angle camera on July 2. North is up and the sun illuminates the scene from the lower right. Bright clouds hover near the northern most dome-shaped volcano Hecates Tholus . The shield volcano Elysium Mons lies about 250 miles south near the image center, and farther south lies another dome-shaped volcano, Albor Tholus , with a broad summit basin or caldera . Even though Mars is just half the size of planet Earth, it is known for its volcanos - the largest of which dwarf their terrestrial counterparts .
| Date | July 30, 1998 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Credit: Mars Global Surveyor Project, MSSS, JPL, NASA |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |