An extraordinary new image captured by NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter has unveiled a stunning sight: a massive formation peeking through the early morning cloud cover on Mars.
Taken just before dawn on May 2, 2025, and released by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on June 6, this photograph provides an unprecedented view of the Martian horizon.
This marks the first time a feature of such scale has been observed from orbit emerging above the clouds, offering a perspective that is typically associated with Earth-based spaceflight.
To achieve this remarkable image, the spacecraft was rotated 90 degrees in orbit, enabling its camera to focus on the edge of the Martian atmosphere instead of the surface below.
In the image, a colossal peak can be seen rising majestically from a blanket of clouds hovering low over the Martian terrain.
Located in the Tharsis region of Mars, the formation appears to stand as a sentinel on the brink of the world, piercing through the upper atmosphere.
The surrounding clouds, primarily composed of water ice, form as temperatures drop in the early morning.
The dramatic visual contrast between the pale, luminous clouds and the dark, towering structure creates an alien and almost surreal scene.
“We picked this location hoping we would see the summit poke above the early morning clouds. And it didn’t disappoint,” commented Jonathon Hill, operations lead for Odyssey’s Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS).
The image is part of an extensive effort to examine Mars’ upper atmosphere across various seasons.
Since 2023, Odyssey has been capturing high-altitude perspectives of the Martian horizon, which offer significant insights into cloud dynamics, dust patterns, and atmospheric layering.
These observations are instrumental in helping scientists track the evolution of the Red Planet’s weather over time.
According to Michael D. Smith, planetary scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, “We’re seeing some really significant seasonal differences in these horizon images. It’s giving us new clues to how Mars’ atmosphere evolves over time.”
By monitoring these atmospheric changes, researchers can improve their understanding of long-term climate behavior and its effects on surface conditions.
The newly released image vividly illustrates the interaction between the rugged Martian terrain and the dense morning clouds, especially during the aphelion phase—when Mars is farthest from the Sun.
During this period, a broad band of clouds known as the aphelion cloud belt envelops the planet’s equator.
These clouds generally form when moist air ascends over elevated land, cools quickly, and subsequently condenses.
In this striking image, the immense formation pushes through the uppermost atmospheric layer, resembling an island amid a fog-laden sea.
Despite the static nature of the peak, the dynamic behavior of the clouds surrounding it signals an ever-active planetary atmosphere.
Odyssey’s THEMIS instrument, originally intended for surface imaging, has gained newfound value in atmospheric studies.
With the capability to detect visible and infrared light, it can assess temperature variations, identify subsurface water ice, and study Mars’ two moons, Phobos and Deimos.
These functions have enabled the seasoned spacecraft—now the longest-running mission at Mars—to adjust its scientific focus.
By shifting its observations from the surface to the horizon, THEMIS is deepening our comprehension of the Martian climate system and capturing breathtaking views that were previously thought unreachable.
image source from：https://dailygalaxy.com/2025/06/nasa-towering-shape-mars-atmosphere/
