The American explorer Curiosity has taken a very special photo on Mars: there seems to be a doorway in a rocky outcrop.
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NASA shared the remarkable photo on Twitter this week. There was then much speculation on social media. Do Martians live here? Is this evidence for extraterrestrial life?
earthquakes
The US space agency has not yet provided an explanation for the remarkable ‘doorway’. For example, it is not clear how large the opening actually is and what caused it.
British science journalist Mick West posted a larger photo of the rocks on Twitter, giving you more context. This shows, for example, that the doorway is actually not large at all. “The ‘door’ on Mars from a different angle, a lot less impressive,” West said.
The Indepedent also has a statement, which sounds a lot more believable than alien life. Presumably, the striking rock formation was created by earthquakes, causing a piece of a rock to break off. NASA has already measured several earthquakes on the red planet. For example, last week the planet was hit by the heaviest shock ever.
It is still unclear how the vibrations are generated, further research should clarify that.
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