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."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
DARPA smashes wireless power record, beaming energy more than 5 miles away — and uses it to make popcorn
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The U.S. military has set a new record for wireless power transmission, beaming a laser carrying more than 800 watts of power across a distance of 5.3 miles (8.6 kilometers). The test, performed by the U.S. military's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as part of its Persistent Optical Wireless Energy Relay (POWER) program, is a key step toward unlocking the near-instant beaming of power. It also smashes previous records set by the POWER program, which previously beamed 230 watts across 1 mile (1.7 km) for 25 seconds, and a smaller, undisclosed amount of power as far as 2.3 miles (3.7 km). "It is beyond a doubt that we absolutely obliterated all previously reported optical power beaming demonstrations for power and distance," Paul Jaffe, the POWER program manager, said in a statement. The concept of wireless power transmission (WPT) has been a popular goal since the days of Nikola Tesla, who in 1901 began constructing the Wardenclyffe Tower on Long Island, New York — a 187-foot (57 meters) structure intended to be the first node in a "World Wireless System" that would beam power around the globe. Yet technical challenges meant that funding for the project, initially provided by the financier J.P. Morgan, dried up, leaving Tesla's vision unrealized. Related: NASA's 1st successful 2-way laser experiment is a giant leap for moon and Mars communications Nonetheless, interest in the concept has recently increased, both for military applications and space-based solar power, a nascent technology that would collect and transmit energy from sunlight in space, where it is 10 times more intense than at Earth's surface. Energy is essential for military operations, and getting that energy to the battlefields and disaster areas where it's needed is slow, risky, and resource intensive, often using up a lot of fuel, DARPA representatives wrote in the statement. RELATED STORIES —World's most powerful X-ray laser set for massive upgrade that will help us better understand the atomic world —DARPA's military-grade 'quantum laser' will use entangled photons to outshine conventional laser beams—Scientists uncover the secret to building Star Wars-style laser weapons — but don't worry, we won't have a Death Star anytime soon "These tests, referred to as PRAD (POWER Receiver Array Demo), mark an important step toward the POWER program's long-term goal of being able to instantly beam power from a location where it can be easily generated to wherever it's needed," the agency added. In the latest experiment, conducted at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the power was beamed over the 5.3-mile distance in a 30-second pulse. The laser beam arrived at the receiver before passing through a small aperture, bouncing off a parabolic mirror onto solar cells within. The pulse was transmitted with an approximate 20% efficiency, and some of the power it transmitted was used to make popcorn. The researchers have bigger ambitions for the system's use in the field, however, suggesting that it could be used to power unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). They will now move on to testing power beaming both across multiple connected relays and vertically, where the atmosphere is thinner and transmission more efficient.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Perspective Therapeutics Commences Recruitment for [212Pb]VMT-α-NET in the Third Dose Escalation Cohort of its Ongoing Phase 1/2a Clinical Trial
[212Pb]VMT-α-NET Phase 1/2a study is advancing into Cohort 3 with a fixed administered dose that is up to 20% higher (6 mCi) than the dose administered to patients in Cohort 2 Dosimetry sub-study analysis presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) 2025 Annual Meeting to advance utility of dosimetry in clinical development when considered with clinical data On track to submit further clinical updates to scientific congresses in 2H 2025, including longer safety follow-up on all patients who have received at least one treatment of [212Pb]VMT-α-NET and anti-tumor activities in patients dosed to date who have had the opportunity to receive at least one scan after their full treatment SEATTLE, June 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Perspective Therapeutics, Inc. ("Perspective" or the "Company") (NYSE AMERICAN: CATX), a radiopharmaceutical company pioneering advanced treatments for cancers throughout the body, today announced that alignment was reached with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to open the third dosing cohort (Cohort 3) of its ongoing Phase 1/2a clinical trial for [212Pb]VMT-α-NET in patients with unresectable or metastatic somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2)-positive neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) who have not received prior radiopharmaceutical therapies (RPT). "We are excited to start exploring a higher dose level of VMT-α-NET after successfully completing an interaction with the FDA that was agreed prior to commencement of this trial," commented Markus Puhlmann, Chief Medical Officer of Perspective. "We are encouraged by the overall clinical profile observed at the second dose level of VMT-α-NET—including evidence of anti-tumor activity and primarily low-grade adverse events—and we believe it is important to assess whether a higher dose could further improve the therapeutic profile. Meanwhile, we remain committed to engaging with the FDA to evaluate the clinical utility of dosimetry estimates and analyses in the development of our proprietary RPTs." Patients in Cohort 3 will receive up to four fixed administered doses of [212Pb]VMT-α-NET at 6 mCi every eight weeks if they weigh more than 60kg (133lb), or 100μCi/kg of body weight if they weigh less than or equal to 60kg. Observations of dose limiting toxicities (DLTs) in up to eight patients within 42 days of the first treatment cycle will be used to assess whether this cohort of patients have received maximum tolerated dose (MTD) or maximum feasible dose (MFD). Once a safety monitoring committee (SMC) has reviewed the data from these initial patients, it may recommend exploring alternative dosing and/or recruit more patients into Cohort 3. Perspective is notifying sites that Cohort 3 is now open for recruitment. Patients currently being evaluated for entry into the study will enroll into Cohort 3 if they qualify. Pending feedback from sites on operationalizing enrollment into Cohort 3, an update on pace of recruitment will be provided in due course. About [212Pb]VMT-α-NETPerspective designed [212Pb]VMT-α-NET to target and deliver 212Pb to tumor sites expressing SSTR2. The Company is conducting a multi-center, open-label, dose-escalation, dose-expansion study ( identifier NCT05636618) of [212Pb]VMT-α-NET in patients with unresectable or metastatic SSTR2-positive neuroendocrine tumors who have not received a prior RPT. Interim update with a data cut-off date of April 30, 2025 were reported in an oral presentation at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in May 2025. Cohort 2 was reopened in August 2024. During 2H 2025, some of the 33 additional patients enrolled after the cohort reopened and through April 30, 2025 will have had the opportunity for at least 32 weeks of follow-up after their initial doses, sufficient time to receive at least one scan after their full treatment (up to four doses every eight weeks), if they receive all four doses of treatment per protocol. About Perspective Therapeutics, Therapeutics, Inc. is a radiopharmaceutical company pioneering advanced treatments for cancers throughout the body. The Company has proprietary technology that utilizes the alpha-emitting isotope 212Pb to deliver powerful radiation specifically to cancer cells via specialized targeting moieties. The Company is also developing complementary imaging diagnostics that incorporate the same targeting moieties, which provides the opportunity to personalize treatment and optimize patient outcomes. This "theranostic" approach enables the ability to see the specific tumor and then treat it to potentially improve efficacy and minimize toxicity. The Company's melanoma (VMT01), neuroendocrine tumor (VMT-α-NET), and solid tumor (PSV359) programs are in Phase 1/2a imaging and therapy trials in the U.S. The Company is growing its regional network of drug product finishing facilities, enabled by its proprietary 212Pb generator, to deliver patient-ready products for clinical trials and commercial operations. For more information, please visit the Company's website at Safe Harbor StatementThis press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements in this press release include statements concerning, among other things, the Company's ability to pioneer advanced treatments for cancers throughout the body; the Company's belief that it is on track to submit further clinical updates to scientific congresses in 2H 2025 and the planned content of such updates; the Company's ability to explore a higher dose level of VMT-α-NET; the Company's commitment to engage with the FDA to evaluate the clinical utility of dosimetry estimates and analyses in the development of its proprietary RPTs; the Company's expectation that patients currently being evaluated for entry into its VMT-α-NET study will enroll into Cohort 3 if they qualify; the ability of the Company's proprietary technology utilizing the alpha emitting isotope 212Pb to deliver powerful radiation specifically to cancer cells via specialized targeting moieties; the Company's prediction that the use of complementary imaging diagnostics that incorporate the same targeting moieties provides the opportunity to personalize treatment and optimize patient outcomes; the Company's belief that its "theranostic" approach enables the ability to see a specific tumor and then treat it to potentially improve efficacy and minimize toxicity; the Company's ability to grow its regional network of drug product finishing facilities, enabled by its proprietary 212Pb generator, to deliver patient-ready products for clinical trials and commercial operations; and other statements that are not historical fact. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements. Certain factors that may cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements in this press release are described under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), in the Company's other filings with the SEC, and in the Company's future reports to be filed with the SEC and available at Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of this date. Unless required to do so by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Media and Investor Relations Contacts: Perspective Therapeutics IR:Annie J. Cheng, CFAir@ Russo Partners, LLCNic JohnsonPerspectiveIR@
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
MIT researchers develop high-performance power source that transform future planes and trains: 'This work suggests a pathway'
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed high-performance sodium-air fuel cells that could provide an affordable power source for electric planes and trains. According to MIT News, the prototype devices offer a significant increase in energy density compared to lithium-ion batteries, potentially capable of unlocking three times as much energy per pound as today's top-performing electric vehicle batteries. Since it can store more energy for its weight and size, it could be a viable power source for electric aviation, where weight is a major factor. The device utilizes a reaction between liquid sodium metal, a readily available resource that can be extracted from table salt, and air to generate electricity. Along with being cost-effective and efficient, the new fuel cell is also significantly safer than lithium-ion batteries, as it utilizes air as one of its reactants, which is less prone to spontaneous combustion when exposed to moisture. Yet-Ming Chiang, an MIT professor of materials science and engineering, said that the ideal energy density for regional electric planes is about 1,000 watt-hours per kilogram, but that wouldn't be nearly enough juice to power international flights. However, it would be a decent start, as MIT News reported that domestic flights are responsible for 30% of pollution from the aviation sector. The technology could be used in trains, boats, and potentially even large drones, offering a planet-friendly alternative to fossil fuels that are driving extreme weather and rising global temperatures. Humans and wildlife would benefit as well, as the burning of dirty fuels causes widespread health issues such as respiratory illnesses, cancer, and other ailments that reduce quality of life. As a bonus, the sodium air fuel cells don't produce carbon dioxide pollution and their by-products, such as sodium oxide, actually help absorb planet-warming gases in the atmosphere. In addition, "if the final product, the sodium bicarbonate, ends up in the ocean, it could help to deacidify the water, countering another of the damaging effects of greenhouse gases," reported MIT News. The device exists as a small prototype, but Propel Aero, a battery company formed by members of the MIT research team, is working to commercialize the technology. The startup plans to build a prototype fuel cell the size of a shoebox for large drones within a year. Do you think the federal government should give us tax breaks to improve our homes? Definitely Only for certain upgrades Let each state decide instead No way Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. "We expect people to think that this is a totally crazy idea," Chiang said. "If they didn't, I'd be a bit disappointed because if people don't think something is totally crazy at first, it probably isn't going to be that revolutionary." "Combined with historical precedents for the large volume production of sodium metal, this work suggests a pathway for utilization of sodium metal as a sustainable, low-carbon energy carrier," the team noted in its paper, which was published in the journal Joule. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
