Olympus Mons several large lobes. Northwest of the volcano, the aureole extends a distance of up to and is known as Lycus Sulci (). East of Olympus Mons, the aureole is partially covered by lava flows, but where it is exposed it goes by different names (Gigas Sulci, for example). The origin of the aureole remains debated, but it was likely formed by huge landslides or gravity-driven thrust sheets that sloughed off the edges of the Olympus Mons shield. Olympus Mons Olympus Mons (; Latin for Mount Olympus) is a very large shield volcano on the planet Mars. The volcano has a
Minor planet more are discovered each month. The Minor Planet Center has documented over 188 million observations and 757,626 minor planets, of which 516,386 have orbits known well enough to be assigned permanent official numbers. Of these, 21,264 have official names. , the lowest-numbered unnamed minor planet is , and the highest-numbered named minor planet is 495759 Jandesselberger. There are various broad minor-planet populations: All astronomical bodies in the Solar System need a distinct designation. The naming of minor planets runs through a three-step process. First, a provisional designation is given upon discovery—because the object still may turn out to be a