NASA discovers mysterious rock on Mars

The Perseverance rover unexpectedly recorded a strange rock never seen before, suspected of being of extraterrestrial origin.

NASA's Perseverance rover has discovered "Phippsaksla" - a strange and mysterious rock on the surface of Mars. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU.

The rugged, metal-rich rock, "Phippsaksla," is likely a meteorite that fell to Mars and is the first found by the Perseverance rover in its four-year mission to search for signs of life in Martian rocks. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU.

Perseverance has found a variety of rocks since landing in Mars' Jezero Crater in early 2021, including a "spider egg" rock, a "skull" rock, and most recently a strange "turtle-shaped" rock. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS.

Several rocks found on Mars have given experts surprising results, including strange nodules recently found in organic-rich samples that could be the “clearest sign” yet of extraterrestrial life on Mars. Image: NASA.

So far, the only thing all the rocks collected and surveyed by the Perseverance rover have in common is that they all come from Mars. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

However, on September 19, during Sol 1,629 (Mars day) of the mission, Perseverance stumbled upon a strange rock while exploring the Jezero region known as “Vernodden.” The strange rock, measuring about 80 centimeters in diameter, has been named “Phippsaksla” and is unlikely to be of Martian origin. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

“This rock was identified as a target of interest based on its large appearance, which contrasts with the surrounding rocks, which are low, flat, and broken,” said Candice Bedford, a geochemist and mineralogist in Purdue University’s Department of Planetary Sciences . Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.

Analysis of the “Phippsaksla” rock sample showed it had high levels of iron and nickel, which is unusual for Martian rocks. However, these metals are commonly found in meteorites, “suggesting the rock formed elsewhere in the solar system.” Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Experts are not sure how long "Phippsaksla" has been on Mars, but it could be millions or even billions of years. Although the "Phippsaksla" rock was found about two months ago, the discovery was only recently announced due to the US government shutdown. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

While finding meteorites on Mars is rare, we have found many meteorites originating from the red planet on Earth. Image: NASA / JPL-Caltech.

Readers are invited to watch the video: Universe map with more than 900,000 stars, galaxies and black holes. Source: THĐT1.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/nasa-phat-hien-tang-da-bi-an-tren-sao-hoa-post2149071361.html