It may just look like your average rock, but in fact it’s an extra-special delivery from the red planet. Laboratory analysis has revealed that a specimen bought from a Moroccan meteorite dealer in 2011 is the first sample of Martian origin that is similar to the water-rich rocks examined by NASAs rovers.
The meteorite, dubbed Northwest Africa (NWA) 7034, contains a concentration of water by weight about ten times higher than in any of the other 100 or so known Martian meteorites those rare rocks that get ejected from the Martian surface into space when an asteroid hits the planet, and eventually find their way to Earth. Its also the only known Martian sample on Earth that hails from a critical period, about 2 billion years ago, when Marsis thought to have become colder and drier than it was originally.
You May Also Like
Space
The Perseverance rover, sent by NASA to Mars, transmitted a photograph of the Martian rainbow to Earth. Yes, there is also a rainbow on the...
Planet Earth
In one of the most vulnerable glaciers of the South Pole of the Earth – Antarctica, a giant fissure 112 kilometers long was discovered....
Bizzare & Odd
Millions of people around the world watched the Perseverance rover broadcast an amazing 360-degree panorama of the Martian surface. Many were sure that this was...
Space
NASA showed the first images of the surface of Mars taken by the Perseverance spacecraft, which landed on the Red Planet a few hours...
Planet Earth
People may already be in awe when watching the gorgeous aurora from the ground, but the International Space Station (International Space Station) recently shared photos of the aurora taken from...
Space
The red planet sways from side to side like a whirligig when it loses speed. The new study allowed scientists to notice that the...
Mysteries
January 1995 literally shook the whole world. It’s all about an article published in a German astronomical journal, which aroused serious interest from publishers around...
Fact or fiction
The hypothesis that life originated on Mars and only from there was brought to Earth can be called unusual, but not at all incredible....