Image of the Day: Puzzling Blue Spheres Found at Mars' Crater

Daily Galaxy

Quote from source:
NASA Opportunity's microscopic imager took this detail view of the coating on "Chocolate Hills," on which a layer of peppercorn-size spheres nicknamed "blueberries" are packed densely. The weird coatings on rocks beside a young Martian crater (below) remain puzzling after a preliminary look at data from examination of the site by NASA's Opportunity rover. The rover spent six weeks investigating the crater called "Concepción" before resuming its long journey this month. The crater is about 10 meters in diameter. Dark rays extending from it, as seen from orbit, flagged it in advance as a target of interest because the rays suggest the crater is young.

This is interesting to say the least. I would like to see some of the experts on ATs their opinions on this subject.

I really have no idea what this could be...maybe if I stare at it a bit I'll figure it out.

Had to share this because....well...I'm sure you can figure it out.

Any thoughts?

Pred...

im not sure if the coloring is in the visible spectrum, it looks like maybe there is some tinkering with the hues to make certain things stand out.

either way, looks like a deteriorating crusted substance foriegn to the underlying rock. like something splattered there and dried and then cracked and eroded. or it could be that the rock had some sort of iron crusting on it that has rusted and eroded in the martian atmosphere.


very intriguing!

reply to post by wx4caster


I would think it is correctly colored as they are calling them blueberries. I have no idea though, could be wrong.

Looks interesting though.

Pred...

you know, my first instinct was it looks like a dried mud or something similar.

i wonder if there are some mechanics that can liquify the iron residue that is prevalent in the landscape during a meteor impact. it could cause something like that dont you think?

double post-

sry!

[edit on 26-3-2010 by wx4caster]

It's a partial map of the North Atlantic on a piece of wood,

OR

It's a meaningless smear of chemical on a rock

OR

Someone stepped on a blueberry.

Most likely transferred by condensation over thousands of years, since little moves on that planet.

reply to post by Jim Scott


I think it is a map of the North Atlantic...that sounds the most amusing.

I don't think it could have accrued from a long period of time, because the reason they were investigating the crater is because it was a young crater.

Pred...

looks like it's an old heavy barn beam with the paint peeling off...LOL.. but seriously it does look like a piece of petrified wood.. and on the top right corner, it looks a bit like fungus growing..
Imagination, and the minds tendency to put things in a familiar perspective is amazing. especially in the wee hours, after a long day..

Originally posted by predator0187
I would think it is correctly colored as they are calling them blueberries.

It's just in false colour images that they appear blue.

Martian spherules

Originally posted by jra

Originally posted by predator0187
I would think it is correctly colored as they are calling them blueberries.

It's just in false colour images that they appear blue.

Martian spherules

Hmm...don't see anything color on that link to show what the color actually is, in true color.

Why can't we just send a digital camera up there. I hear all the "but in space cameras don't....". I am not buying that anymore, since that English guy managed to get space pics with a Kodak and a balloon.

If they would just send a Kodak up there and show that it doesn't work, maybe i would leave it alone.

Hematite is bluish in tint. Not as blue as the false color images, but blue like in a "blue steel" type of way.

Originally posted by predator0187
reply to post by wx4caster

 

I would think it is correctly colored as they are calling them blueberries. I have no idea though, could be wrong.

Looks interesting though.

Pred...

You're absolutely right. The mars rover stopped off at this newly formed crater on it's way to it's primary destination. This was the only stop deemed worthy of stopping.

there's layers upon layers of these blueberries and sandstone, with many theories. the one thing they know is they've only found them around this one crater site.

reply to post by jra


Good read but I think that that doesn't really look the same as what we are seeing. What we are seeing is not just the spheres we are looking at the blue mass on it. But, good read none the less.

Pred...

They've been seeing these "blueberries" since Opportunity first landed. They are hematite. This mineral forms in the presence of water. The primary objective of the Mars Rovers was to find evidence of water. The Mars Global Surveyor satellite discovered an abundance of hematite on Meridiani Planum, so it became a primary landing site for the second rover.

In this instance, JPL uses false-color manipulation to make the hematite easier to see. They have used this useful process for decades to bring out subtle differences that get lost in true-color images.

ITS TIBERIUM!!!!!

Im gonna go fire up my havester and finish building that silo.

reply to post by Wertdagf


No, it's TURBINIUM, and Cohaagen wants us to log-off & start mining, or he'll sic Richter on us!

reply to post by Saint Exupery


Thanks for the post and information. How come you know but NASA is having trouble. That is not meant to be rude, but seriously how are they having trouble but yet you can explain it?

Pred...