- An interactive map reveals how the Solar System’s mountains dwarf Mount Everest
- The highest mountain in the Solar System is located on the asteroid Vesta
Since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first conquered Everest in 1953, the mountain has been the greatest challenge for any climber.
But as the prospect of humanity spreading across the solar system becomes more real, mountaineers of the future could face an even more arduous challenge.
This incredible interactive map reveals the tallest mountains in the solar system, with several peaks dwarfing the highest points on Earth.
The tallest peak in the solar system is found on the asteroid Vesta, a space rock so large that it accounts for nine percent of the mass of all known asteroids.
At 22,500 m (74,000 ft), Vesta Reasilvia The mountain is almost three times the height of Everest and is formed by an impact crater that covers 90 percent of the entire asteroid.
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In second place is Olympus Mons on Mars, the tallest volcano in the solar system, at 21,945 meters (72,000 feet) above Mars Global Datum, the equivalent of sea level.
Not only is Olympus Mons exceptionally high, but this “shield volcano” is also exceptionally wide, stretching over an area the same size as France.
Fortunately for any future Martian explorers, however, the volcano appears to have been dormant for at least the past 25 million years.