PASADENA — There’s something fishy going on on Mars or something. NASA researchers have spotted giant “crab claws” and “shark fins” in the ancient sands of the Red Planet.
At least that’s how astronomers describe rocks recently observed by NASA’s Perseverance rover, which has been taking images of geological formations over the past few months. The NASA team at the space agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory compared it to a shark’s mouth, a giant egg, and what looked like a “male appendage.”
This interesting find was voted on by science fans who can vote for the space agency’s Image of the Week.
“This rock duo was seen hanging out together in a windy area. I spy…crab claws? Shark fin?” NASA officials said in a statement, according to SWNS.
“The Martian crab is huge and has one giant claw, and one hammer claw, the first for fighting, the other for breaking rocks in search of hidden water,” someone joked while commenting on the otherworldly image.
“What’s the scale here? “I need to understand how the size of Martian crabs compares to Earth crabs,” added another fan.
The often humorous observation of Martian rocks is an example of pareidolia, where we see familiar objects or patterns in random or unrelated objects. The main goal of the Perseverance mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. This rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, paving the way for human visits to the planet.
The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes the Artemis mission to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.
2023-09-12 11:05:00
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