"The Sphere": Curiosity Sol 610...

originally posted by: Rob48
a reply to: Meee32

But it's not even all that spherical. If you overlay a circle on the image you can see that it is no more than "roundish". (Contrast enhanced in this image)

It is just the "most round" of a continuum of very similar dark rocks, from rounded to angular, lying all over the place on and below that hill. Nothing in that picture suggests that it is in any way out of place in the setting it is in, so why single it out for investigation?

Doesn't exactly "leap out at you" in the general scene, does it?

No it doesn't leap out to you... It sure does to me, again I'm not even saying it ie something mystical just noteworthy and an anomoly in the sense that we haven't seen such a round rock on mars until now... I don't see the biggy with that...

originally posted by: wildespace

originally posted by: Meee32

originally posted by: wildespace
How much of Mars' surface have we explored using rovers? There might be thousands or tens of thousands of spherical rocks! Stop saying this one is unique.

There MIGHT be, but as of yet they haven't been found, this is the first one so therefore noteworthy and so far an anomoly. It's not to say it is something supernatural... Just unusual

A spherical rock is not an anomaly, being located on a planet that in the past had very similar environment and geological processes as on Earth.

It is if it hasn't been seen until now... That is my opinion. Still of course it is most likely formed naturally. Don't see anyone saying otherwise...

originally posted by: Meee32

originally posted by: wildespace

originally posted by: Meee32

originally posted by: wildespace
How much of Mars' surface have we explored using rovers? There might be thousands or tens of thousands of spherical rocks! Stop saying this one is unique.

There MIGHT be, but as of yet they haven't been found, this is the first one so therefore noteworthy and so far an anomoly. It's not to say it is something supernatural... Just unusual

A spherical rock is not an anomaly, being located on a planet that in the past had very similar environment and geological processes as on Earth.

It is if it hasn't been seen until now... That is my opinion. Still of course it is most likely formed naturally. Don't see anyone saying otherwise...

Well then, let's notify geologists and planetary scientists about this anomaly, and demand an explanation from them. Discussing this rock to death on ATS won't achieve anything.

a reply to: wildespace

Discussing this rock to death on ATS won't achieve anything.

Interesting....

So why you are right here on ATS, wildespace?

And exactly for what purpose?

a reply to: Rob48

So assuming the distance of 37 metres from the stereo pair is correct, then the rock is not 2 metres in diameter, but approximately 2 feet.

Thanks for counting the pixel's Rob. "Feet" is what I was thinking when I typed "meters". Price of using the imperial system in everyday life, but having to switch to metric when doing science, blaaaaah...

originally posted by: Arken
a reply to: wildespace

Discussing this rock to death on ATS won't achieve anything.

Interesting....

So why you are right here on ATS, wildespace?

And exactly for what purpose?

To share what I know, or interesting things I've learned about, and to hopefully learn some interesting things from other members. And most of all - because I love space and space exploration.

a reply to: Arken maybe its a martian turd?????? A combination of things is involved. The answer lies in large part in the digestive tract itself. In animals such as rabbits, the feces are formed into pellets by the colon, which pushes them out into the rectum rhythmically, leading to a fairly uniform shape and size. Of course, the rectum also plays a role. Some animals have internal muscles that control the process to a degree, such that each fewmet comes out virtually the same size and shape--essentially, the rectum acts a lot like a press (maybe a better analogy would be a sausage-making machine). Caterpillars, which lack a colon or sphincter, derive the shape of their droppings entirely from the rectum, while the dropping shapes of animals such as goats, deer, and rabbits are due to a combination. Horse apples are not quite as consistent, but they're close. When the feces are more amorphous, only the anal sphincter contributes to the shape; if the sphincter stays open a long time, you tend to get long, unbroken masses, as in humans. The phenomenon doesn't correlate strictly with a fibrous diet (though the pellets would probably not hold their shape otherwise), since animals like cows and buffaloes have a fibrous diet but most definitely have soupy poop. Obviously, the digestive process itself--which is different in ruminants such as cattle--is also a factor.

a reply to: Arken

I wouldn't say its amazing, rocks tend to take that shape especially in areas such as that and generally after the seas or lakes or other natural occurrences which created them have dried up, and they tend to retain that shape for thousands of years if not disturbed and in a dry place with less erosion's they can retain a spherical shape for hundreds of thousands to millions of years even, but thats not likely to happen especially if its constantly bombarded by cosmic rays over long periods of time, it will either break down or change its composition, and therefore its shape.

Though completely spherical shaped rocks are not that abundant, there plenty of them here on earth to prove that point the more general ones seem to be the oval shaped ones, the landscape in that picture looks like it just crumpled over time, generally in a low wind more dry and less atmospheric areas that is what happens, in a high wind or more vibrant area things such as rocks tend to take a smother quality.

The only question would be what composition is that rock made of, it could just be more of the soft rock type, but considering I think a lot of the rocks on Mars are derived from sulfur, silicates, iron mixes, which would be one reason why is it not just a misshaped flat smidgen of potmarked sponge like rock by now, but from that picture you cant really tell, maybe they should have gotten a closer look! oh well. Even here on earth those can survive intact in pretty weird shapes for a long time, but definitely not hundreds of thousands of years in a changing enviorment. They say the surface composition of mars is more or less uniformed and covered in a fine layer of dust, and from what I read most rocks are mineral in nature. And some places on Mars, well take look. Seems they found a lot of the dust on mars is magnetic but you know things will change as they get more data from future excursions. So like what is the newest one they sent there?

Composition of Mars

Spirit Rover discoveries in the Aeolis quadrangle The rocks on the plains of Gusev are a type of basalt. They contain the minerals olivine, pyroxene, plagioclase, and magnetite, and they look like volcanic basalt as they are fine-grained with irregular holes (geologists would say they have vesicles and vugs).[68][69] Much of the soil on the plains came from the breakdown of the local rocks. Fairly high levels of nickel were found in some soils; probably from meteorites.[70] Analysis shows that the rocks have been slightly altered by tiny amounts of water. Outside coatings and cracks inside the rocks suggest water deposited minerals, maybe bromine compounds. All the rocks contain a fine coating of dust and one or more harder rinds of material. One type can be brushed off, while another needed to be ground off by the Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT).[71] There are a variety of rocks in the Columbia Hills (Mars), some of which have been altered by water, but not by very much water. The dust in Gusev Crater is the same as dust all around the planet. All the dust was found to be magnetic. Moreover, Spirit found the magnetism was caused by the mineral magnetite, especially magnetite that contained the element titanium. One magnet was able to completely divert all dust hence all Martian dust is thought to be magnetic.[50] The spectra of the dust was similar to spectra of bright, low thermal inertia regions like Tharsis and Arabia that have been detected by orbiting satellites. A thin layer of dust, maybe less than one millimeter thick covers all surfaces. Something in it contains a small amount of chemically bound water

originally posted by: Arken
An amazing spherical anomaly right in front of the NASA rover called "Curiosity!" (What a strange name for a so indifferent machine...) on Sol 610. How it was formed this Bizarre Sphere? Wind erosion, Water erosion, both, or something else? How it was formed this absurd spherical anomaly? The unique feature of the Sphere, cast many questions. If you were the JPL "puppeteers" of the Rover, would not want to look more closely at such anomaly to understand its characteristics?

mars.jpl.nasa.gov...

mars.jpl.nasa.gov...

i will call your sphere and raise you a balanced cube, and yes it is balanced on its edge. mars.jpl.nasa.gov...
And the circulal object top left is balanced on something coming out of the ground

originally posted by: symptomoftheuniverse

i will call your sphere and raise you a balanced cube, and yes it is balanced on its edge. mars.jpl.nasa.gov...
And the circulal object top left is balanced on something coming out of the ground

Now THAT:



Is MUCH more interesting looking, and in my humble opinion is much more qualified to be called "unique", and much more worthy for a closer inspection by the rover!

a reply to: eriktheawful

We can't say it is "balanced" by looking at it from just one angle. We have no way of knowing the shape of the hidden portion.

Eg look at this photo from the same sol:

mars.jpl.nasa.gov...

That big rock in the foreground with a long overhang would look even more "impossibly balanced" than the other one if it was photographed from a different angle.

originally posted by: Rob48
a reply to: eriktheawful

We can't say it is "balanced" by looking at it from just one angle. We have no way of knowing the shape of the hidden portion.

Eg look at this photo from the same sol:

mars.jpl.nasa.gov...

That big rock in the foreground with a long overhang would look even more "impossibly balanced" than the other one if it was photographed from a different angle.

i can say for sure the cube is balanced.. i have seen images from different angles.
The cube is actually an anti gravity drive ! Lol

originally posted by: eriktheawful

originally posted by: symptomoftheuniverse

i will call your sphere and raise you a balanced cube, and yes it is balanced on its edge. mars.jpl.nasa.gov...
And the circulal object top left is balanced on something coming out of the ground

Now THAT:

Is MUCH more interesting looking, and in my humble opinion is much more qualified to be called "unique", and much more worthy for a closer inspection by the rover!

looking at the circular object top left it appears the cube was attached to it at some point in the past. I think i see a square indentation.

a reply to: symptomoftheuniverse

Sorry, I was under the mistaken impression that this was a serious thread. Carry on.

originally posted by: Rob48
a reply to: symptomoftheuniverse

Sorry, I was under the mistaken impression that this was a serious thread. Carry on.

was it this post that led to your mistaken impression?

a reply to: Arken maybe its a martian turd?????? A combination of things is involved. The answer lies in large part in the digestive tract itself. In animals such as rabbits, the feces are formed into pellets by the colon, which pushes them out into the rectum rhythmically, leading to a fairly uniform shape and size. Of course, the rectum also plays a role. Some animals have internal muscles that control the process to a degree, such that each fewmet comes out virtually the same size and shape--essentially, the rectum acts a lot like a press (maybe a better analogy would be a sausage-making machine). Caterpillars, which lack a colon or sphincter, derive the shape of their droppings entirely from the rectum, while the dropping shapes of animals such as goats, deer, and rabbits are due to a combination. Horse apples are not quite as consistent, but they're close. When the feces are more amorphous, only the anal sphincter contributes to the shape; if the sphincter stays open a long time, you tend to get long, unbroken masses, as in humans. The phenomenon doesn't correlate strictly with a fibrous diet (though the pellets would probably not hold their shape otherwise), since animals like cows and buffaloes have a fibrous diet but most definitely have soupy poop. Obviously, the digestive process itself--which is different in ruminants such as cattle--is also a factor.

a reply to: Rob48

Oh I was not thinking it was balanced on it's edge, as it looks like it's resting on the slope if you look carefully.

I was talking out it's shape.

If you bother to download that image of the cuboid-shaped rock and enlarge it quite a lot, it has brown gunky stuff over 2 faces yet there is also blue/green rock showing through that brown 'stuff'. Now, I dont think that brown gunky colour is shadow (which no doubt some will say it is) because of the blue/green rock colour showing through the brown.

a reply to: symptomoftheuniverse

a reply to: Arken

could be a fossilized egg...

originally posted by: Arken
a reply to: tsingtao

nice one arken.
but i am curious about the hut with the white interior or door behind it.

Me too, tsingtao. I've noticed that.

But I'm quite interested in this HUT... that appear more like a VAULT in a cemetery...
(The Rover, in its indifference has passed very close, and ignored IT,... officially....)

In this post linked below there is another 'hut' or shelter with a white interior. Very strangely, it looks as if there is a sign with writing on it inside.

images 3,4,& 5 in this post show a similar rock with a white interior. In the one you point out tsingtao at 11 o'clock behind the sphere it looks like a white door without any writing.

What would cause that effect I wonder? Apperaing twice as well.