Like an interstellar rolling stone.<\/p>\n
NASA scientists were baffled after uncovering a rock on Mars that didn\u2019t belong there \u2014 with a composition pointing to potentially interstellar origins.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis rock was identified as a target of interest,\u201d the space agency wrote in a recent blog post<\/a> detailing the potentially intergalactic gravelstone.<\/p>\n NASA\u2019s Perseverance Rover, which has been exploring the Red Planet for five years now, stumbled across the geological anomaly while exploring the Vernodden area of\u00a0the 28-mile-wide Jezero Crater<\/a>, per the post.<\/p>\n The rock (pictured) was found in the Vernodden area of\u00a0Jezero Crater.<\/p>\n \u201cIf this rock is deemed to be a meteorite, Perseverance can at long last add itself to the list of Mars rovers who have investigated the fragments of rocky visitors to Mars (pictured),\u201d NASA wrote. NASA JPL \/ SWNS<\/p>\n Dubbed \u201cPhippsaksla,\u201d the rock measured around 31 inches wide. <\/p>\n And while finding a stone on Mars might not seem groundbreaking, this particular specimen stood out due to its \u201csculpted, high-standing appearance that differed from that of the low-lying, flat and fragmented surrounding rocks.\u201d<\/p>\n Subsequent analysis by the Rover\u2019s SuperCam revealed that the Martian pebble was high in iron and nickel \u2014 an element combo associated more with \u201ciron-nickel\u201d meteorites rather than more run-of-the-mill rocks.<\/p>\n The rock (pictured) \u201cwas identified as a target of interest,\u201d the space agency wrote.<\/p>\n Unlike their rocky brethren, these metallic space stones are typically formed from the heart of large asteroids, Science Alert reported. <\/a><\/p>\n They were created when heavy minerals embedded themselves in heated rocks during the early days of the Solar System.<\/p>\n This seemed to suggest that \u201cPhippsaksla\u201d didn\u2019t originate on Mars but was rather part of a meteor that had crash-landed on the planet in the past.<\/p>\n Coincidentally, other iron-nickel meteorites had been found on Mars before \u2014 including the \u201cCacao\u201d meteorite spotted in 2023 \u2014 but this was the first time Perseverance had stumbled across one of these interstellar rolling stones.<\/p>\n Scientists will need to conduct further tests to confirm that the metal-filled stone is indeed a meteorite. <\/p>\n If it is, the rock could provide valuable clues about the history of the Red Planet.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the first Earth-shattering geologic discovery made by the Red Planet rover of late.<\/p>\n