Spin a Mars globe built from real NASA MOLA elevation data - watch Olympus Mons rise and Hellas Planitia sink as you stretch the relief slider, then click anywhere for a real elevation reading.
The globe's colour and bulge both come from NASA's MOLA laser-altimetry dataset - Relief is stretched for visibility; press Real scale to see how flat Mars actually is next to its own radius.
Distinct from Earth 3D Globe: that page teaches day/night lighting and geography; this page is built from a real downloaded elevation dataset, not a procedural texture.
Mars Terrain Explorer
Spin a Mars globe built from real NASA MOLA elevation data - watch Olympus Mons rise and Hellas Planitia sink as you stretch the relief slider, then click anywhere for a real elevation reading.
The globe first paints as a plain procedural sphere, then downloads the actual elevation dataset (about 2.6 MB, one time, cached afterward) and rebuilds itself with the real colour ramp and bulge. Relief + exaggerates vertical scale; Real scale shows how subtle true relief is against Mars mean diameter 6,779 km.
The dataset is the NASA MGS MOLA global elevation mosaic (463 m per pixel) from the USGS Astrogeology Planetary Data System - public domain, and served from a dedicated asset host so this page loads fast without bloating this site's own repository.
- Elevation range -8,201 m to +21,241 m relative to the Mars areoid
- Highest mapped region about 21.2 km, near Olympus Mons (base-to-peak citations vary ~21-25 km by convention)
- Lowest mapped region about -8.2 km, near Hellas Planitia
- Valles Marineris about 3,870 km long, up to ~600 km wide, ~9.3 km deep rim-to-floor at deepest
- Mars mean diameter 6,779 km (mean radius 3,389.5 km)
- Click the globe for a real elevation reading at that point
- Runs fully in the browser with the vendored three.js engine - no account, no upload
Teachers use it to show why "Mars has huge mountains" is true in absolute terms but nearly invisible at planetary scale; students connect the relief slider to the real elevation numbers in the facts panel; curious readers click around the globe to see where the tallest and deepest points actually sit.
| Quantity | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation range | -8,201 m to +21,241 m (areoid datum) | NASA MGS MOLA global DEM mosaic |
| Highest mapped region | ~21.2 km | Near Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano in the solar system |
| Lowest mapped region | ~-8.2 km | Near Hellas Planitia, one of the largest impact basins |
| Valles Marineris | ~3,870 km long; ~600 km wide; ~9.3 km deep | NASA Science / published canyon summaries |
| Mars mean diameter | 6,779 km | NASA planetary fact sheet |
| Source resolution | 463 m/pixel teaching mosaic (2048x1024) | USGS Astrogeology PDS mosaic |
Everything renders on your device with WebGL. The 3D engine loads once (about 0.7 MB) and is cached; the elevation dataset downloads once (about 2.6 MB) and is cached in your browser too - nothing is uploaded and no scene data reaches a server.
Mars Terrain Explorer is not a GIS package, shapefile editor, rover-path planner, or live imagery browser - it is a teaching globe from a 2048x1024 MOLA mosaic, not the highest-resolution MOLA products.
For a step-by-step walkthrough, read the Mars Terrain Explorer step-by-step guide. The Space 3D collection also includes Earth 3D Globe and Planet Size Comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Mars terrain here real data?
Yes. The globe's colour and bulge come from NASA's MGS MOLA global elevation mosaic (463 m/pixel), public domain via the USGS Astrogeology Planetary Data System - not a procedural texture.
Why does the relief look so exaggerated?
Real Martian relief is under 1% of the planet's radius - almost perfectly smooth at true scale. The relief slider stretches it for visibility; press Real scale to see the true, nearly flat proportion.
What happens when I click the globe?
The facts panel shows the real elevation, in meters, at the point you clicked - sampled directly from the downloaded MOLA dataset.
Where does the elevation data come from?
A dedicated asset host serves the dataset once (about 2.6 MB); your browser caches it afterward so later visits load instantly. Nothing is uploaded from your device.
Is this the same as Earth 3D Globe?
No. Earth 3D Globe teaches day/night lighting and geography with a procedural texture. This page is built from a real downloaded elevation dataset and focuses on Mars relief specifically.
Does any data leave my device?
No uploads and no login. The vendored three.js engine renders on your device; the elevation dataset downloads read-only from a public asset host.