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spaceSpace and PhysicsspaceAstronomy

Curiosity Spots Stone Duck On Mars

Has Curiosity gone quackers?

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Dr. Alfredo Carpineti

author

Dr. Alfredo Carpineti

Senior Staff Writer & Space Correspondent

Alfredo (he/him) has a PhD in Astrophysics on galaxy evolution and a Master's in Quantum Fields and Fundamental Forces.

Senior Staff Writer & Space Correspondent

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A sedimentary rock eroded by the wind that looks a bit like a dukc is seen on the left among some red sandy terrain.
The peculiar rock formation spotted by a citizen scientist joins Mars's cat, mouse, and snake. Image credit: Nasa/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/AndreaLuck

Would you call me a quack if I were to tell you that there is a duck on Mars? Well, humans love turning vague stimuli into well-known patterns, a phenomenon called pareidolia, but in this case, the fowl similarity of this rock to a duck fits the bill. Alright, enough duck puns and onto the science.

NASA’s Curiosity rover is exploring Mount Sharp, the massive mountain that forms a central peak in the middle of Gale Crater. Long ago, this crater was underwater and muddy deposits were left here as the water disappeared. Those turned to layered stones, eroded over billions of years by the planet's winds and dust storms. This can result in some very strange-looking geological features, and sometimes they ended up shaped like a duck.

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The image was processed by citizen scientist Andrea Luck and it was taken by Curiosity on October 22, 2022. The rover is currently exploring higher terrain at the mouth of the so-called Gediz Vallis on the slopes of Mount Sharp. Curiosity has spent 3,647 sols – Martian days – on the Red Planet and is still going strong.

Other curious "animals" spotted on Mars include a mouse, cat, and snake. A previously unknown animal population on Mars would indeed be news but as far as we know, the current population of Mars hasn't changed just yet (we're rooting for you InSight).


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spaceSpace and PhysicsspaceAstronomy
  • tag
  • Mars,

  • Curiosity,

  • Astronomy,

  • pareidolia

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