APOD: 2023 April 4 Á Olympus Mons: Largest Volcano in the Solar System
Explanation:
The largest volcano in our Solar System is on Mars.
Although three times higher than Earth's
Mount Everest,
Olympus Mons will not be difficult for
humans to climb because of the volcano's
shallow slopes and Mars' low gravity.
Covering an area greater than the entire
Hawaiian volcano chain, the slopes of
Olympus Mons
typically rise only a few degrees at a time.
Olympus Mons
is an immense
shield volcano, built long ago by fluid lava.
A relatively
static surface crust allowed it to build up over time.
Its last eruption is thought to have been about 25 million years ago.
The featured image was taken by the European Space Agency's robotic
Mars Express
spacecraft currently orbiting the
Red
Planet.
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NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Mars - Olympus Mons
Publications with words: Mars - Olympus Mons
See also:
- APOD: 2024 December 3 Á Ice Clouds over a Red Planet
- APOD: 2024 November 10 Á Valles Marineris: The Grand Canyon of Mars
- APOD: 2024 September 9 Á Mars: Moon, Craters, and Volcanos
- APOD: 2024 June 5 Á Shadow of a Martian Robot
- Ares 3 Landing Site: The Martian Revisited
- The Shadow of Ingenuity s Damaged Rotor Blade
- APOD: 2023 November 7 Á A Martian Dust Devil Spins By