Overview

• On May 2, 2025, NASA’s 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter rotated 90 degrees in orbit to capture the first horizon panorama showing Arsia Mons rising above morning water ice clouds.
• Arsia Mons stands 12 miles (20 kilometers) high—roughly twice the height of Earth’s tallest volcano, Mauna Loa—and is the cloudiest of the Tharsis Montes chain.
• Odyssey’s Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) camera uses visible and infrared imaging to reveal layered dust and water ice clouds and track seasonal atmospheric shifts.
• Mapping Martian cloud formations is crucial for refining weather forecasts and improving entry, descent and landing approaches for upcoming missions.
• Since its 2001 launch, Odyssey has become the longest-running planetary orbiter and has captured four high-altitude horizon views since 2023 to study Mars’s atmosphere.