NASA’s Perseverance rover has imaged a mysterious white stone on Mars. Scientists are trying to understand how it formed.
The camera of NASA’s Perseverance rover has captured a mysterious, never-before-seen white stone in the Jezero crater.
The stone is about 45 centimeters wide and 35 centimeters high, and scientists are curious about its origin and how it could provide clues to Mars‘ past.
The white stone was captured by Perseverance’s Navcam camera, which studies rock formations in the crater.
Different from the surrounding rocks
The image shows that the stone stands out sharply from its surroundings of reddish rocks.
Scientists plan to use spectroscopic tools to determine the composition of the stone.
There are various theories about the origin of the white stone. According to one theory, the stone may have formed from veins from a region that once contained liquid water in Mars’ geological past.
The white color of the stone could be due to the water reacting with minerals in the rock.
Another theory suggests that the stone could be a fragment of a meteorite that fell on Mars. In this case, the stone could provide clues about Earth or another celestial body.
Scientists hope to solve the mystery of the white stone by studying other rocks and sediments in Perseverance’s crater.
