Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2015 February 9
Layered Rocks near Mount Sharp on Mars
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS
Explanation: What caused these Martian rocks to be layered? The
leading hypothesis is an
ancient Martian lake that kept evaporating and refilling over 10 million years -- but has now remained dry and empty of water for billions of years. The
featured image, taken last November by the
robotic Curiosity rover, shows one-meter wide Whale Rock which is part of the
Pahrump Hills outcrop at the base of
Mount Sharp. Also evident in the image is
cross-bedding -- rock with angled layers -- which were likely facilitated by
waves of sand.
Curiosity continues to find many layered
rocks like this as it continues to roll around and up 5.5-km high
Mount Sharp.
Tomorrow's picture: a long sun
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