Alex Bruno
NASA’s Perseverance rover recently returned a slew of images from Mars, one of which showed an intriguing rock structure that looks suspiciously like a wrecked spacecraft. Mars, more than any of Earth’s other neighbors, attracts the most attention of all the planets in the Solar System.
For a variety of reasons, the alien world is interesting. It is near to us, was probably once comparable to Earth, and may have even had ancient life billions of years ago. The fascination with Mars is so strong that NASA wants to send the first humans to the Red Planet in the 2030s, with many people dreaming of a day when people live there.
While fellow humans will have to wait a long time to step foot on Mars, sophisticated rovers have been exploring the planet for decades. It all began with the landing of the Sojourner rover on Mars in July 1997.
The initial rover weighed 23 pounds and had just two pieces of scientific equipment in its toolset. Perseverance, the most current rover, landed on Mars in February 2021, weighing 2,260 pounds and carrying seven research equipment.
One of Perseverance’s major responsibilities, in addition to gathering rock samples and visiting crucial parts of the Jezero Crater, is to transmit back images of its journeys. These photographs allow scientists to observe what the rover is up to while also providing breathtaking views of Mars to the general audience.
Perseverance has sent back a large number of photos during its 11-month stay on Mars. Since February of this year, more than 191,000 photos have been posted, with about 4,000 of them coming from 2022 alone.
The newest photo dump from Perseverance includes a picture that is especially eye-catching. Perseverance’s Right Mastcam-Z camera captured the image seen above at 12:12 a.m. on January 10, 2022 (Sol 317).
It shows a stunning array of boulders strewn over the sandy floor. Is that a spaceship? The way they are placed makes it appear like it! The bigger boulders may be found at the summit of the hill, while the medium-sized ones can be found farther down the slope. It is intriguing because the rocks naturally appear like they are made of spacecraft debris.
From a distance, Mars rocks might seem to be any shape or size
The first time Perseverance saw something on Mars that did not appear like it belonged there was, well, on Mars. The rover captured another rock structure that resembled a frog’s head, torso, and even frog-like legs in October.
In August, Curiosity found a rock that resembled a Martian worm, another similar sighting. There are no frogs, worms, or wrecked spacecraft on Mars. It does, however, contain an unlimited supply of rocks of all sizes and forms.
When exploring or settling on Mars, humans will face several difficulties, such as obtaining food, water, and oxygen, to name just a few. There are lots of Martian rocks for them to examine once they get there. All the way up to ones that seem like a shipwreck.
A ‘Rainbow’ On Mars Has Been Discovered, It Appears
NASA’s Perseverance rover has been on Mars for about a year already, and in its newest snapshot from the Red Planet, Perseverance focuses on a spectacular Martian ‘rainbow.’ Despite the fact that Perseverance arrived on Mars less than a year ago, the rover is already celebrating its first birthday. Perseverance has been highly active since its arrival on February 18, 2021. Rock samples, regions of interest to the scientists back on Earth, and critical information about the Jezero Crater it is now in have all been gathered by the rover.
As well as doing the considerable study, Perseverance devotes a significant portion of its time to photography. Since it began taking pictures every day, the rover has amassed almost 191,000 shots of its travels.
As we have come to anticipate, many of those images are jaw-droppingly beautiful. Photos from Perseverance show unusual rock formations on Mars, as well as massive mountains, ominous sunrises, and much more. It would be incredible to go to Mars someday, but in the meanwhile, these images will have to suffice.
A few days into this new year, Perseverance has not missed a beat in its regular uploads. A single photograph from the rover is particularly interesting among the several that have been released thus far.
Perseverance’s Rear Right Hazard Avoidance Camera obtained the following image, which NASA collected at 14:54 UTC on January 9 (Sol 316). This photo, like many of Perseverance’s others, accurately captures the strange landscape that Mars is so well-known for.
A bright sky, an infinite sand sea, and distant dunes can all be seen in this photograph of Mars. This picture likewise has an odd quality to it. A rainbow can be seen in the distance to the right of the camera’s frame of view, beginning on the ground and rising into the sky. It is nearly like a rainbow you might see on Earth, yet it is not what is truly going on.
Why There Are No Rainbows on Mars
After several attempts, this image of the “rainbow” on Mars was finally captured.
This is not a rainbow, unfortunately. Instead, Perseverance’s camera’s lens flare is at blame. When Perseverance is imaging the Red Planet, this occurs from time to time. Set up your picture, and you will see something like this flash in the sky! The flare has an arc-like effect because of the wide-angle lenses on some of the Perseverance cameras.
On top of that, rainbows cannot exist on Mars due to the planet’s gravity. Water droplets on the ground reflect light in the form of rainbows. It is impossible to create a rainbow on Mars because of the planet’s lack of water.
The initial ‘rainbow’ photographs taken by Perseverance in April of last year forced NASA to address this issue. Everyone thought the rover had witnessed a Martian rainbow, but it was really a conventional lens flare.
It does not matter what the exact nature of this Mars “rainbow” is, the Perseverance mission is doing quite well. The rover has gathered several samples, published countless images, and gained a wider audience since it began its mission 11 months ago. Another interesting year awaits Perseverance in 2022, and there is a good chance we may see a few more “rainbow” sightings before the year is up.
