A strange rock with a doughnut-like shape that was discovered by Nasa's Perseverance rover on Mars is probably a meteorite that fell to the surface. The rover's remote-sensing camera discovered other stones of a similar colour surrounding the strange, large, dark stone with a hole in the centre.
"Nasa Perseverance took a picture using the SuperCam Remote Micro-Imager on June 23, 2023, of a doughnut-shaped rock off in the distance, which could be a large meteorite alongside smaller pieces," the California-based SETI Institute tweeted on Monday.
Earlier rovers and the current one have both discovered such peculiar-appearing rocks and formations on Mars.
Astronomers discovered a bear-like structure on Mars, with eyes and snouts resembling two craters and a V-shaped hill. The circular fracture pattern was likely caused by a deposit settling over a submerged impact crater, and the bear-nosed structure was likely a volcanic or mud vent.
A few months ago, Nasa discovered a metallic rock on Mars called "Cacao" in February. The discovery was made near Mount Sharp, possibly in a large crater. The Curiosity rover also observed an "alien doorway" rock formation, likely formed by seismic activity.
Additionally, a geological formation discovered last year fooled many online observers by giving the impression that a "tranquil person" was hanging out on Mars, according to The Independent.
The "Egg Rock" and a 7-foot-long meteorite that the rover's team dubbed "Lebanon" were also discovered by Curiosity in the past.
The Opportunity rover, which operated on Mars from 2004 until 2018, also found its fair share of unusual rocks there, including the well-known Heat Shield Rock, the first meteorite ever discovered on another planet.
The psychological condition known as "pareidolia," in which people tend to read significance into seemingly random arrangements of objects, appears to have contributed to the online interest generated by some of these strange rock discoveries.
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