火星岩石上的豹斑

火星岩石上的豹斑

Leopard Spots on Martian Rocks
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS, Perseverance Rover

Explanation: What is creating these unusual spots? Light-colored spots on Martian rocks, each surrounded by a dark border, were discovered earlier this month by NASA‘s Perseverance Rover currently exploring Mars. Dubbed leopard spots because of their seemingly similarity to markings on famous Earth-bound predators, these curious patterns are being studied with the possibility they were created by ancient Martian life. The pictured spots measure only millimeters across and were discovered on a larger rock named Cheyava Falls. The exciting but unproven speculation is that long ago, microbes generated energy with chemical reactions that turned rock from red to white while leaving a dark ring, like some similarly appearing spots on Earth rocks. Although other non-biological explanations may ultimately prevail, speculation focusing on this potential biological origin is causing much intrigue.

New Mirror: APOD is now available from Brazil in Portuguese

Tomorrow’s picture: open space

火星岩石上的豹斑
影像提供: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS, Perseverance Rover

说明: 这些不寻常的斑点是如何产生的？在这个月的前些日子，美国国家航空航天局的毅力号火星车在探索火星时，发现一些上头有镶暗边淡色斑点的火星岩石。由于其外观与地球上著名的掠食者身上的斑点相似，因此有“豹斑”之称。这些“豹斑”宽仅有数公厘/毫米，出现在昵称为切亚瓦瀑布（Cheyava Falls）的较大岩石上头。这些引人好奇的图案，目前在研究探索之中，因为它们有可能是由远古的火星生命所创造的。令人兴奋但未经证实的揣测认为：可能类似于地球岩石上的某些斑点，很久以前的火星微生物通过化学反应获得能量，把岩石从红色变成白色，并留下深色的环。纵然其他非生物起源的解释，最后或许会占上风，但目前这种猜测性的生物起源论，无疑引起广大的兴趣。

新镜像: APOD现已在巴西推出葡萄牙语版本

明日的图片: open space