Latest news with #JonathonHill
Hans India
a day ago
- Science
- Hans India
NASA captures stunning image of Mars' towering volcano Arsia Mons
NASA Captures Stunning Image of Mars' Towering Volcano Arsia Mons Piercing Through Dawn Clouds In a breathtaking new image, NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft has captured the massive Martian volcano Arsia Mons rising through pre-dawn clouds, offering an Earth-like yet entirely alien view from orbit. Photographed on May 2, 2025, the image shows Arsia Mons breaking through a blanket of water ice clouds, captured in a greenish atmospheric haze. The image was taken while the orbiter was turned 90 degrees midway around Mars — a rare maneuver to capture the planet's horizon, much like how astronauts see Earth from space. A Unique Vantage Point Mars Odyssey, the longest-operating spacecraft in orbit around another planet, used its THEMIS (Thermal Emission Imaging System) to collect this image. THEMIS, primarily designed to study surface temperature, has been used since 2023 to scan Mars' upper atmosphere and horizon. The latest capture showcases a rare and fleeting Martian weather pattern: early morning water ice clouds forming over the massive Tharsis Montes volcanoes. These clouds are most prominent during Mars' aphelion — when the planet is farthest from the Sun — creating a cloudy equatorial band, with Arsia Mons towering above. Colossal and Cloudy: Arsia Mons Standing at 20 kilometers high, Arsia Mons is nearly twice as tall as Mauna Loa in Hawaii, making it one of the tallest volcanoes in the solar system. Its height and shape encourage thick cloud formation each Martian morning as cold air condenses while rising up its slopes. NASA scientists, hoping to catch this exact moment, aimed Odyssey's camera at Arsia Mons — and the result did not disappoint. 'It's not just visually stunning; it's scientifically valuable,' said Jonathon Hill of Arizona State University, operations manager for THEMIS. Cracking the Code of Martian Weather The horizon view helps scientists understand seasonal and atmospheric changes on Mars. Michael D. Smith from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center noted that these images are revealing critical patterns that could impact future mission planning, including spacecraft landings. THEMIS also detects visible and infrared light, helping identify subsurface water ice — a potential resource for future astronauts. It even observes Mars' moons, Phobos and Deimos, for surface composition data. A Mission That Keeps on Giving With support from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Lockheed Martin Space, Odyssey continues to inspire after more than 20 years in orbit. THEMIS, designed by Arizona State University, remains a cornerstone in Martian exploration. Thanks to this new perspective, the Martian sky is offering more secrets — and scientists are ready to uncover them one image at a time.
Gizmodo
2 days ago
- Science
- Gizmodo
Mars Orbiter Captures Rare View of Ancient Volcano Poking Above the Clouds
Floating in orbit above Mars, NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter captured a panorama of the Red Planet's biggest volcanoes, Arsia Mons, peeking over a sea of clouds. The picturesque moment offers an exceptionally rare view of a Martian volcano, showing the landform at an angle in space that captures the planet's horizon. 'We picked Arsia Mons hoping we would see the summit poke above the early morning clouds. And it didn't disappoint,' Jonathon Hill, the operations lead for Odyssey's camera and a mission planner at Arizona State University's Mars Space Flight Facility, called the Thermal Emission Imaging System, or THEMIS, said in a statement. THEMIS can view Mars in both visible and infrared light. Launched in 2001, Odyssey has been circling around Mars for over two decades, studying the Martian surface. But in 2023, the orbiter began taking breathtaking panoramic views of the Martian horizon. Because THEMIS can't pivot to get these stunning views, the orbiter flips on its side, rotating a full 90 degrees. That way, it captured Mars' 'limb,' the edge of the planet's horizon. This is THEMIS' fourth limb observation since 2023. Odyssey captured the image on May 2, just before dawn. In it, Arsia Mons stands 12 miles (20 kilometers) high and measures 70 miles (450 km) in diameter. For comparison, Earth's tallest volcano, Mauna Loa, stands 6 miles (9 km) above the seafloor and measures 75 miles (121 km) in diameter. Arsia Mons is also one of Mars' cloudiest volcanoes and the southernmost of the three Tharsis volcanoes that form Tharsis Montes, or Tharsis Mountains. These mountains are often surrounded by water ice clouds, particularly early in the morning. The clouds form when air expands as it blows up the sides of the mountain and then rapidly cools. This view also allows scientists to study Martian weather and phenomena like dust clouds and how they change over the course of the seasons. Odyssey might be able to capture a few more of these panoramas before its eventual retirement, likely at the end of this year.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
NASA captures image of Mars' Arsia Mons volcano, nearly twice the height of Earth's tallest mountain
Image source: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA has captured a breathtaking image of Arsia Mons, one of Mars' most massive volcanoes, towering nearly twice the height of any mountain on Earth. Captured at dawn by the 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter, the photograph shows the volcano piercing through a layer of early morning haze, offering a surreal glimpse into the Martian horizon. Beyond its visual beauty, the image provides crucial scientific insights into Mars' volcanic past and atmospheric behaviour. Located in the Tharsis region, Arsia Mons' immense scale and persistent cloud cover make it a key subject for studying the Red Planet's evolving climate and geology. NASA's Mars Odyssey captures stunning image of Arsia Mons volcano NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft captured the breathtaking photo of Arsia Mons using its Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS). The image is of the volcano above a green-colored haze of clouds passing over the Martian horizon at sunrise. The summit caldera of Arsia Mons is 120 kilometers wide, and it is larger than most volcanoes on Earth. For comparison, Arsia Mons is approximately 20 kilometers high, roughly twice as tall as Mauna Loa in Hawaii, the tallest volcano on Earth and roughly 9 kilometers higher than the sea bed. "We were hoping to grab Arsia Mons rising above morning clouds—and it surely didn't disappoint," joined Arizona State University's THEMIS operations lead Jonathon Hill. NASA studies Martian clouds and seasons using Arsia Mons observations Arsia Mons is located in the Tharsis province of volcanoes on Mars, which has three colossal volcanoes. The southernmost and typically cloudiest of the three is Arsia Mons. Its thick cloud cover is most common at Mars' aphelion—the time when Mars is farthest from the Sun. The clouds play an important role in Martian climate observation and phenomena like the planet's notorious dust storms. To record such seldom-observed horizon vistas, the Mars Odyssey orbiter performs a special 90-degree rotation maneuver so that its primarily ground-pointing camera may take pictures of the planet's atmospheric horizon. This special technique enables scientists to track dust and water-ice clouds and analyze their seasonal trends. Planetary scientist Michael D. Smith at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center commented, "The horizon images exhibit large seasonal variations. These measurements are teaching us new things about how Mars' atmosphere varies with time." Why Arsia Mons volcano image matters In addition to its photographic attractiveness, the image of the Arsia Mons contains rich scientific information about Mars' geology and climate. Scientists gain a better understanding of predicting weather, dust storm formation, and the workings of larger-scale planetary phenomena by examining such volcanic formations and their interaction with the atmosphere. This image is particularly important as the space agencies of the world hasten plans to send man to Mars and increase robotic missions to the Red Planet. Such images pave the way for more safe and informed voyages to the Red Planet and take man one step closer to discovering its mysteries. Also Read | June 2025 stargazing: Witness the rare glimpse of the Milky Way's glowing core, planetary alignments and more this month; here's how
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA orbiter saw something astonishing peek through Martian clouds
NASA's longest-running Mars mission has sent back an unprecedented side view of a massive volcano rising above the Red Planet, just before dawn. On May 2, as sunlight crept over the Martian horizon, the Odyssey spacecraft captured Arsia Mons, a towering, long-extinct volcano, puncturing a glowing band of greenish haze in the planet's upper atmosphere. The 12-mile-high volcano — nearly twice the height of Mauna Loa in Hawaii — punctures a veil of fog, emerging like a monument to the planet's ancient past. The space snapshot is both visually arresting and scientifically enlightening. "We picked Arsia Mons hoping we would see the summit poke above the early morning clouds," said Jonathon Hill, who leads Odyssey's camera operations at Arizona State University, in a statement, "and it didn't disappoint." SEE ALSO: An enormous Martian cloud returns every spring. Scientists found out why. Arsia Mons sits at the southern end of a towering trio of volcanoes called the Tharsis Montes. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech To get this view, Odyssey had to do something it wasn't originally built for. The orbiter, which has been flying around Mars since 2001, usually points its camera straight down to map the planet's surface. But over the past two years, scientists have begun rotating the spacecraft 90 degrees to look toward the horizon. That adjustment allows NASA to study how dust and ice clouds change over the seasons. Though the image is still an aerial view, the vantage point is of the horizon, similar to how astronauts can see Earth's horizon 250 miles above the planet on the International Space Station. From that altitude, Earth doesn't fill their entire view — there's enough distance and perspective for them to see the planet's curved edge meeting the blackness of space. Odyssey flies above Mars at about the same altitude. Arsia Mons sits at the southern end of a towering trio of volcanoes called the Tharsis Montes. The Tharsis region is home to the largest volcanoes in the solar system. The lack of plate tectonics on the Red Planet allowed them to grow many times larger than those anywhere on Earth. Together, they dominate the Martian landscape and are sometimes covered in clouds, especially in the early hours. But not just any clouds — these are made of water ice, a different breed than the planet's more common carbon dioxide clouds. Arsia Mons is the cloudiest of the three. Scientists have recently studied a particular, localized cloud formation that occurs over the mountain, dubbed the Arsia Mons Elongated Cloud. The transient feature, streaking 1,100 miles over southern Mars, lasts only about three hours in the morning during spring before vanishing in the warm sunlight. It's formed by strong winds being forced up the mountainside. The cloudy canopy on display in Odyssey's new image, according to NASA, is called the aphelion cloud belt. This widespread seasonal system drapes across the planet's equator when Mars is farthest from the sun. This is Odyssey's fourth side image since 2023, and it is the first to show a volcano breaking through the clouds. "We're seeing some really significant seasonal differences in these horizon images," said Michael D. Smith, a NASA planetary scientist, in a statement. "It's giving us new clues to how Mars' atmosphere evolves over time."
NDTV
3 days ago
- Science
- NDTV
NASA Captures Mars Volcano Twice The Height Of Earth's Tallest Peaks
NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter has captured a stunning picture of a 20-kilometer-high volcano, peeping through the clouds on the Red Planet. The image captured from the upper atmosphere at dawn, shows a green haze with Arsia Mons standing roughly twice as tall as Earth's largest volcano, Mauna Loa, located in Hawaii, which rises nine kilometers above the seafloor. At 120 kilometres wide, the Arsia Mons summit caldera is also larger than many volcanoes on Earth. The panorama image taken on May 2, using the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS), shows the planet's massive volcano for the first time. Arsia Mons is the southernmost of the Tharsis volcanoes and cloudiest of the three. 'We picked Arsia Mons hoping we would see the summit poke above the early morning clouds. And it didn't disappoint,' said Jonathon Hill of Arizona State University in Tempe, operations lead for THEMIS. Researchers said the clouds are especially thick over Arsia Mons when the Red Planet is farthest from the sun, a period called aphelion. "Understanding Mars' clouds is particularly important for understanding Martian weather and how phenomena like dust storms occur," NASA stated. Something big is peeking through Martian clouds. 🌋 The Odyssey orbiter captured a stunning view of Arsia Mons, a volcano that dwarfs the tallest ones here on Earth. This perspective helps scientists study how dust and ice clouds change over the seasons. — NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) June 6, 2025 Also Read | US Researcher Proposes Detonating Massive Nuclear Bomb Under Ocean To Save Earth The Odyssey orbiter was launched in 2001 and is regarded as the longest-running mission orbiting another planet. To click the picture, the orbiter rotates 90 degrees while in orbit so that its camera, built to study the Martian surface, can capture it cleanly. The angle of the camera allows scientists to see dust and water ice cloud layers, enabling them to observe changes over the course of seasons. 'We're seeing some really significant seasonal differences in these horizon images,' said planetary scientist Michael D. Smith of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. 'It's giving us new clues to how Mars' atmosphere evolves over time.'
