Earth isn't the end of the scale

Earth isn't the end of the scale

Olympus Mons is about 2Β½ Everest elevations tall.

NASA gives the Martian volcano a height of about 21.9 km for this reference.

Approximate calculated comparison

Why this is interesting

Earth's tallest mountain is not the benchmark once you leave the planet.

How this measurement works

Planetary heights do not have one universally agreed base or reference surface the way sea-level elevations do on Earth, and different NASA/JPL materials present Olympus Mons differently depending on the basis used. This comparison is bound to the cited NASA reference basis of about 21.9 km β€” it is not a claim that 21.9 km is the single exact physical height of the volcano.

See the math

Olympus Mons (cited NASA reference basis)
β‰ˆ21.9 kmSource value
Mount Everest summit elevation
8.84886 kmSource value
Ratio
21.9 Γ· 8.84886 β‰ˆ 2.47Scaleidoscope calculation
Result
about 2Β½ Everest elevations

How certain is this?

Calculated comparison, tied to one cited planetary measurement basis β€” other defensible definitions exist.

Tied to the cited NASA reference basis of about 21.9 km. That is not the only defensible definition of Olympus Mons' height.

Sources

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