NASA captured and released what scientists say is a stunning and extremely rare image of Arsia Mons, and Olympus Mons, Mars' largest volcanoes. Towering more than 12 miles high each, they're twice the height of any mountain on Earth.
The image was taken at dawn by the Mars Odyssey orbiter, and it shows the volcano piercing through a layer of early morning haze. It's the first time the two giants have ever been captured together in a single image.
Arsia Mons, located in the Tharsis region, is about 20 kilometers high, twice as tall as Mauna Loa in Hawaii - making it a key subject for studying Mars' evolving climate and geology, Industry Wired reported, noting that the angle makes the massive Olympus look like "a gently sloping hill."
The Mars Odyssey spacecraft used its Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) to capture the photo. Deployed since 2001, it had been focused on capturing the temperature and overall composition of Mars, but it recently changed focus to capturing the planet's atmospheric layers.
Experts say the goal of focusing on volcanic formations and their interaction with the atmosphere, is to better predict "weather, dust storm formation, and larger-scale planetary phenomena, which is crucial for future manned and robotic missions to Mars."
Space.com reported, "Because of its cloud cover, Arsia Mons has been hard to photograph. This new image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter gives a first-of-its kind view at the peak of the volcano. The picture is also the first time any of the three Tharsis volcanoes has been captured on the horizon, offering a similar perspective as what astronauts see from the International Space Station when they view Earth, according to NASA."