NASA’s rover has spotted a mysterious “helmet” on the Red Planet.

The six-wheeled explorer Perseverance has discovered an intriguing on the surface of Mars that resembles either a battle helmet or a volcano.
In a new image captured by the using its main camera system, Mastcam-Z, the rock is shown with a pointed top and a knobby texture, reminiscent of ancient armor. On Earth, such textures can form due to chemical weathering, mineral deposition, and even volcanic activity. Interestingly, back in March, Perseverance found a rock similar to this one.

According to David Eagle, a member of the Perseverance team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the helmet-shaped rock is fascinating not just for its shape. What intrigues scientists the most is that it is almost entirely composed of spherules, as reported by Live Science.
Researchers believe that these spherical structures in Martian rocks form as groundwater seeps through the pores of sedimentary rocks. However, scientists are not certain that all of them have the same origin. The Perseverance team has a significant amount of work ahead in analyzing new samples. They hope to eventually uncover answers to this mystery of Martian geology and other pressing questions about the .
Mastcam-Z is a spectral stereoscopic imaging device. It consists of a pair of zoom cameras mounted on the neck-like mast of Perseverance. Mastcam-Z helps scientists spot unusual objects, like this helmet-shaped rock, from a considerable distance and create high-resolution stereo images.
Previously, Perseverance had already begun to build a gallery of Martian rocks with bizarre shapes. Among them are that look like donuts and strange formations resembling avocados.
These objects, including the helmet rock, assist scientists in thoroughly investigating the environmental history of the Red Planet and understanding how wind, water, and internal processes have shaped its landscape over billions of years.
Photo: Openverse