Mars has been the subject of fascination to us humans for ages now. Trips to the Red Planet have been depicted in science fiction since the 1880s, and in the 1940s it became the subject of aerospace engineering proposals. Today NASA scientists are even talking about creating long-term settlements and terraforming the planet. Here are the most recent images captured from the surface of the red planet…
A Wild Donut Appears
This donut-shaped object seemed to appear suddenly in a set of before-and-after images taken by NASA’s Mars Opportunity rover. While some believed it to be some sort of alien fungus, NASA debunked those rumors, stating that it was simply a donut-shaped rock that had been dislodged by the rover.
A Hovering Spoon
If you look closely at where the red arrow is pointing, you can see what appears to be a spoon levitating in the rock formation in this photo taken by the Curiosity rover. So what is it exactly? Well, unfortunately it’s not a real spoon, but rather, the pull of gravity isn’t as strong on Mars as it is on earth, so fragile structures like this can hold up more easily without crumbling to pieces.
Blueberries
Obviously, actual blueberries couldn’t have made it all the way to Mars. So what are these things then? Well, researchers are still trying to figure that out, but what we do know is that there’s a whole field with these little spherical blue rocks that look like little blueberries from far away! It’s probably not a good idea to eat one though…
The Hole
This photo was captured near Mars’ south pole and shows a perfectly circular hole. The stuff at the bottom is frozen carbon dioxide and it’s estimated that the hole is a few hundred meters across, as we’ve only seen it from orbit so far.
An Iguana
While some will assert that this image is of a simple rock that happens to be shaped like an iguana, others disagree: “To say it’s just a rock would be very closed-minded to the evidence at hand,” said Scott C. Waring, owner of the UFO Daily Sightings Blog. What do you think it is?
The Great Pyramid
This “pyramid” is yet another finding that made conspiracy theorists and UFO enthusiasts go absolutely nuts. Some have even asserted that it’s a message sent from an alien civilization. But no, unfortunately, “it is a rock,” according to Dr. Jim Bell (pictured) of the Curiosity program.
The Kirkwood Spheres
Similarly to the spherical “blueberries,” in 2012 the Opportunity rover got a shot of this unique formation off of Mars’ Kirkwood outcrop. Despite how similar they look to the blueberries, NASA says that these spherules “do not have the iron-rich composition of the blueberries. They also differ in concentration, distribution and structure.” So what are these things then? Well, NASA isn’t quite sure yet, and in fact calls them “puzzling.”
Mini Twisters
Just like here on earth, dust devils present themselves as hazards on the Martian surface – So much so that future humans will need to figure out how to protect themselves against it! The Opportunity rover was the first to spot such weather phenomena which confirmed any theories scientists had about there being little twisters on Mars. Now, rovers come equipped against dust devils.
Beaker, is That You…?
This image was taken in Mars’ south pole area and it clearly looks like Beaker the lab assistant from The Muppets. What makes up Beaker’s face here is areas of frozen carbon dioxide that’re chockful of mesas and pits that sometimes form interesting shapes.
The Jake Matijevich Rock
The Jake Matijevich (left) rock is perhaps the most famous rock on the entire planet of Mars, and that’s because it’s composed of minerals that are typically found in Earth’s core. Researchers aren’t exactly sure why this is yet, so alas, it’ll be left a cliffhanger for now!
Now, who was Jake Matijevich, you ask? He was a NASA engineer who was involved in developing the Sojourner, Spirit, Curiosity, and Opportunity rovers. It seems pretty fitting that a part of Mars would be named after him, doesn’t it?
Statue or Bigfoot?
In 2007, the Spirit rover captured this image of some rock formations – one of which clearly looks like a statue, or even Bigfoot. The blog UFO Sightings Daily claimed that it was some sort of female statue put there by aliens, but the Planetary Society debunked that claim, saying that it is likely just an optical illusion.
The Egg Rock
The “egg rock” is a smooth meteorite that was discovered by the Curiosity rover in 2016. It was spotted around the base of Mount Sharp in the Gale crater on Mars and is made of iron and nickel.
The Face of an Ancient God
On the right is a photo of a statue of a Neo-Assyrian god, and on the left is an image of a rock taken by the Opportunity rover that looks eerily similar to the former. But at the end of the day, it’s simply the result of the phenomenon called pareidolia, or (as it is in this case) the tendency to see a human face in an inanimate object.
