Today, we take a fun trip to our neighbor in the solar system, Mars. We’ll search for evidence of life on the red planet, survey space junk, and even bump into a few famous faces – just by chance. Follow along as we explore the 20 weirdest things found on Mars!
**Number 20 – Book Stone on Mars**
One of the weirdest discoveries on Mars is a rock that looks like a book. NASA discovered the rock, although it’s only about an inch long and not particularly remarkable. However, it could be the most interesting discovery of the century, if we look at it from a different perspective. But is there a rock shaped like Jesus or Elvis or even a rock shaped like a human butt? Either way, all of these shapes are just a figment of the human imagination.
**Number 19 – Teddy Bear Face on Mars**
With advanced technology and billions of dollars spent on space missions, we might imagine that we would discover interesting things about the planet Mars. But no, the strange shapes we see are just rocks shaped like a teddy bear’s face. While that is not useful for studying extraterrestrial life, it is a strange and surprising thing for many people.
**Number 18 – Stone Flowers on Mars**
One of the interesting images sent back by NASA is a small structure that looks like a flower or coral. However, it is actually just a small mineral structure formed from water, indicating that the planet Mars once had water and could have been habitable. Although it is not a real flower, this discovery shows that Mars was once a planet with water and could have harbored life.
**Number 17 – Humanoid Shape on Mars**
There is a shape discovered in the images taken by NASA’s rover, which looks like a woman. Although many people believe that this is evidence of life on Mars, in fact it is just a randomly shaped rock. However, such discoveries still excite people’s imagination and raise hopes for alien life.
**Number 16 – Face on Mars**
More than 40 years ago, the first images from the planet Mars sent back by the Viking 1 spacecraft caused a stir. One of the most striking images was a shape that resembled a human face. Although it was just a random formation of rocks, this image attracted public attention and raised the question of whether there was life on Mars.
**Number 15 – Giz Valis Channel**
The Giz Valis Channel on Mars was captured by NASA’s Curiosity rover and shows signs of water flowing through it, creating long channels. This image is a panorama made up of 176 different images, showing a landmass that once had water flowing through it.
**Number 14 – Water-Formed Rocks**
In 2013, the Curiosity rover discovered a region with rocks formed by flowing water. These rocks suggest that Mars once had rivers and streams and may have been a habitable planet in the past.
**Number 13 – “Blueberries” on Mars**
The round rocks called “blueberries” are not real fruits, but rather minerals that have formed into round shapes. Scientists discovered them when the Curiosity rover took pictures with its microscopic camera. Although they are not fruits, the discovery is an example of how objects look like things we see on Earth.
**Number 12 – Land and seas on Mars**
Although Mars currently has very little water, most of it in the form of ice, studies have shown that Mars once had liquid water. Traces of ice on the planet’s surface suggest that Mars once had similar environmental conditions to Earth, with the possibility of having seas and oceans.
**Number 11 – Convict Lake**
Convict Lake is an area on Mars where the Curiosity rover discovered sulfur crystals. These crystals could be a sign of past water activity, and could be evidence that Mars once had an environment that could support life.
10. **Blue Hairy Spider**: If you look closely, you might imagine a small, hairy green spider. However, it is not a spider, and if Mars were really full of giant hairy green spiders, would you be happy? In fact, that image is just a pattern on the surface of Mars created by dust storms and tornadoes. The green parts are actually the traces that the winds of the tornadoes have scratched on the surface. This color is used in the satellite image to highlight surface features, and in fact, the color of this pattern is a deep red, to create a clearer contrast.
9. **Human trash on Mars**: Since humans began exploring the surface of Mars more than 50 years ago, we have not done a good job of cleaning up after our tools and equipment. 18 man-made objects have been sent to Mars over 14 different missions, leaving behind a lot of trash on the surface of the red planet. These pieces of debris have been captured in photos since 2022. One photo has people wondering, looking like a tangle of string or even organic material resembling plants. NASA has not officially explained what these objects are. One popular theory is that they are debris from the Perseverance spacecraft, which will arrive in Mars in 2021.
8. **Rock samples with round holes**: In 2021, the Perseverance rover used one of its special tools to drill a rock sample from a rock mass believed to be of volcanic origin. These rock samples are hoped to confirm the existence of water and even life on Mars in the past, although there is no solid evidence yet. The drilled rock samples have perfectly round holes, which has led many to speculate that they could be traces of aliens.
7. **Door on Mars**: A sensational discovery is a rock structure on Mars that is shaped like a door. This has sparked many questions and theories, with many speculating that it could be the entrance to an alien home or even an underground alien city. However, scientists have yet to give an official explanation for this phenomenon.
6. **Butt Crack Rock**: A photo that has caused laughter among NASA scientists is a rock on Mars that is shaped like a butt crack. These scientists were so excited to discover this strange shape that they have named it “butt crack rock”. This shows that sometimes a discovery that seems extremely serious can bring moments of humorous relaxation.
5. **Images from the South Pole of Mars**: Satellite images from the South Pole of Mars have revealed an angel-like shape when the ice melts in the summer. This is an interesting image, because it shows a rather special shape on the surface of the red planet, like a melted “angel”, but this is definitely just a coincidence of nature.
4. **Mars Scratches**: The strange marks on the surface of Mars, called “scrapes”, are actually the result of constant dust storms, causing dirt and debris to be swept away, creating deep grooves in the ground. This is a fairly common phenomenon and is not surprising.
3. **Volcanic activity on Mars**: Mars is believed to have had lakes and oceans, and may have once supported life. However, Mars is now a dry planet, with no trace of water. Scientists have recently discovered that volcanoes on Mars may have been active as recently as 53,000 years ago, a surprising finding as it was previously thought that volcanic activity had ceased long ago.
2. **Gandhi’s Shape**: One of the most notable images is a patch of Mars’ surface that looks like an image of Mahatma Gandhi, who is considered the father of India. While many people believe this is a coincidence, many believe that it is a trace of an alien civilization.
1. **Thighbone on Mars**: Finally, a rock shaped like a thighbone has caused a stir online. Although it may seem like a figment of the imagination due to the vagueness of the shape, it is undeniable that this image has attracted attention and made people think about the possibility of alien life.
