Advertisement

Mars Curiosity rover spots potential meteorite that could hold new insights

Photo from NASA
Photo from NASA

A throw pillow-sized object that appears to be a meteorite was recently spotted by NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover, setting the stage for new information to be potentially unearthed.

The object was spotted and photographed by the spacecraft back on Jan. 12. The object appears smooth and grey with a few small dimples on its somewhat shiny surface. In the single photo available on the Curiosity Rover’s raw image feed, the shimmering shape stands out in sharp contrast from the dark sand and jagged red rock around it.

NASA has yet to confirm that the object is a meteorite, however, Universe Today reports that three small white dots visible about halfway up the object’s surface indicate Curiosity has zapped it with a laser to analyze its composition, so the availability of more details could be imminent.

The laser test would likely also reveal whether it is a iron-nickel meteorite, a stony meteorite, a mix of the two or something entirely different. It’s smooth, shiny texture would indicate it is of the iron variety. If this is the case, it would be the eighth meteorite with a metallic composition discovered on Mars.

A golf ball-sized meteorite dubbed “Egg Rock” was spotted by Curiosity in late October 2016 and subsequent laser tests revealed it to be made of iron. NASA stated in a Nov. 2, 2016, news release that further study could reveal differences in how the atmospheres on Mars and Earth affect iron meteorites over time.

With space fans around the world pondering the makeup of this latest mystery object, it’s expected that NASA will soon weigh in on Curiosity’s latest discovery.