Top 10: Tallest mountains in the Solar System

Here’s a question for you: what’s the tallest mountain on Earth? Although most people might say Nepal’s Mount Everest, you could also answer Mauna Kea or Mauna Loa in Hawaii. With 4.2km of their heights submerged underwater, these twin volcanoes actually measure a whole 10.2km top-to-bottom – taller than Mount Everest's 4.6km.

But here’s the thing: all of these mountains are tiny compared to the rest of the Solar System. In fact, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa don’t even make it into the top 10 tallest mountains in the Solar System (measured from base to highest point). Instead, that list looks like this:

10. Euboea Montes

Location: Io, Moon of Jupiter

Height: 10km

9. Oberon peak

Location: Oberon, Moon of Uranus

Height:11km

8. Ionian Mon

Location: Io, Moon of Jupiter

Height: 12.7km

7. Pavonis Mons

Location: Mars

Height: 14km

6. Elysium Mons

Location: Mars

Height: 14.1km

5. Arsia Mons

Location: Mars

Height: 17.7km

4 Boösaule Mons

Location: Io, Moon of Jupiter

Height: 17.2km - 17.8km

3. Ascraeus Mons

Location: Mars

Height: 18.km

2. Rheasilvia peak

Location: Vesta astreroid

Height: 20-25km (potentially making this the Solar System's number one tallest mountain)

1. Olympus Mons

Location: Mars

Height: 21km