NASA’s Curiosity Rover has captured a bizarre image of a duck on Mars. Here’s more about it.
Is that you Daffy Duck? That was our first thought when we glanced at the latest image captured by NASA’s Curiosity Rover! The rover has been on a reconnaissance mission to Mars since its launch in 2011, and has not only captured breathtaking shots of the barren planet, but also uncovered possible signs that life may have existed on the planet. As is clear, the ‘Duck’ that was captured is not a real creature, but it is certainly one of the most bizarre things recorded on the surface of the red planet. It looks like someone actually made it. Aliens?
Earlier this year, the Mars rover discovered a jagged rock formation formed as a result of soil erosion from high-speed winds blowing on the surface of Mars. This bizarre rock in the shape of a duck has left people baffled. The Curiosity Rover captured this photo at SOL 3628, in an area around Mount Sharp.
According to NASA, the Curiosity Rover captures images with its Mast Camera, or MastCam for short, which takes color photos and video images of the red planet’s sandy terrain. The images are then stitched together to create panoramas of the landscape around the rover.
NASA says: “One of the two MastCam camera systems has a medium-resolution lens, similar to the PanCam on the Mars Exploration Rovers. The other camera system has a high-resolution lens to study the landscape far from the rover.”
Curiosity Rover’s Journey to Mount Sharp
Just a few weeks ago, NASA’s Curiosity Rover made its long-awaited trip to the salty region of Mount Sharp. NASA suspects that this region is mineral-rich and calls it a “sulfate-containing unit.” According to a NASA blog, scientists believe that billions of years ago, this region was home to streams and ponds on Mars, which dried up and left behind minerals. If proven correct, this theory could provide a wonderful insight into Mars’ conversion from Earth-like conditions to the barren sandy land it is today.
Although the rover recently made the long journey through the treacherous terrain of the Paraitepuy Pass, surrounded by mountain ranges, this discovery was made more than a decade ago using the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Since arriving in its target area, the rover has discovered many types of rock and even signs of water, among minerals such as magnesium sulfate, calcium sulfate, and sodium chloride.
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