NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has actually identified an odd things out of the corner of its “eye”: a strange rock that looks like a cluster of numerous spider eggs. The rock, which was found on the slopes of Witch Hazel Hill on the rim of Jezero Crater, is gently cleaned with red sand and notably out of location.

This rock, which the Perseverance group called “St. Pauls Bay,” is float rock, suggesting it wasn’t discovered where it formed. As an outcome, it’s missing out on context hints that might discuss its odd texture, according to NASA’s declaration

It isn’t simply the geologic context that’s missing out on, either. Something triggered the rock to move from its initial area, which motion might expose insights about Martian geology. Perhaps this rock formed when a meteorite struck Marsvaporizing rock before it condensed into the little granules seen in the image. If this held true, the rock might have come from far from its present resting location, and it might expose how meteor strikes transportation products on Mars, NASA kept in mind.

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It’s likewise possible that the rock rolled down Witch Hazel Hill, according to NASA. It might have stemmed from among the darker layers on the hill that researchers have actually found from orbit. Closer research study of Witch Hazel Hill might inform researchers what those darker layers are made from. If they’re comparable in structure to St. Pauls Bay, it might suggest a layer of volcanic activity, an old meteor strike, the existence of groundwater in the past, or something else totally, NASA agents composed in the declaration

Rocks like St. Pauls Bay provide researchers crucial hints about how the Red Planet has actually altered in time. Their development and transport expose complicated interactions in between water, rock and geologic forces on Mars, which can assist address whether the world might have harbored life in the past.

If Witch Hazel Hill as soon as had groundwater, a few of the rock samples Perseverance has actually been gathering may include fossilized microbial lifeNASA’s Mars Sample Return objective, presently prepared for at some point in the 2030s, will scoop up these rock samples and return them to Earth for additional research study.

Damien Pine (he/him) is a self-employed author, artist, and previous NASA engineer. He blogs about science, physics, tech, art, and other subjects with a concentrate on making complex concepts available. He has a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Connecticut, and he gets truly fired up whenever he sees a feline.