By Dean Murray
NASA’s Perseverance Rover is celebrating five years on Mars this week.
Quirky photos show some of the space oddities it has spotted in its exploration of the Red Planet.
Puzzling finds range from rocks that look like turtles or sharks to a lightsaber.
But while the Star Wars weapon is actually a titanium tube dropped by the rover and containing a rock sample, other sights have left space fans guessing what they could be.
Notable sightings have seen Mars rocks that resemble a giant egg, a Harry Potter sorting hat shape and a Martian sombrero.
In March 2025, the Perseverance Science Team said they were “astonished by a strange rock” comprised of hundreds of millimetre-sized spheres – some with tiny pinholes.
In 2022, a Martian stone that had been hitching a ride on Perseverance’s wheel finally fell off. NASA staff had dubbed it an “unexpected travelling companion”.
While in 2024, it made a significant find: the “Cheyava Falls” rock that provides possible evidence of ancient life on Mars.
NASA’s History Office posted on X: “Celebrating 5 years on Mars! NASA’s Perseverance Rover safely landed on the surface of the Red Planet 5 years ago, ready to begin its search for signs of past life.
“In 2024, it made a significant find: the “Cheyava Falls” rock pictured here provides possible evidence of ancient life on Mars!”
FOX41 Yakima©FOX11 TriCities©
