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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.
Olympus Mons from Orbit
Explanation: Olympus Mons on Mars is the largest volcano in the Solar System . Although three times higher than Earth's Mount Everest , Olympus Mons would not be difficult to climb because of the volcano's great breadth. Covering an area greater than the entire Hawaiian volcano chain , the slopes of Olympus Mons typically rise only a few degrees at a time. The low gravity of Mars combined with a relatively static surface crust allow volcanoes this large to build up over time. This representative-color image was taken last April by the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft currently orbiting Mars.
| Date | October 19, 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. |