Bruce Murray Space Image Library
Oblique view of Olympus Mons
![Oblique view of Olympus Mons](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x650_crop_center-center_82_line/frosty-olympus-mons-perspective-view.jpg 1200w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_768x416_crop_center-center_82_line/frosty-olympus-mons-perspective-view.jpg 768w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x312_crop_center-center_82_line/frosty-olympus-mons-perspective-view.jpg 576w)
This image was released along with news of the discovery of water frost for the first time on a chain of mountains near Mars’s equator, a part of the planet where it was thought improbable for frost to exist. The frost is thought to form when winds travel up the slopes of the mountains, bringing relatively moist air from near the surface up to higher altitudes. When this happens before sunrise, the moisture in the air condenses and settles as frost, remaining for a few hours before evaporating in sunlight.