                        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.

                               2022 August 31

                            Siccar Point on Mars
     Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS; Processing & License: Kevin M.
                                    Gill

   Explanation: What created this unusual hill on Mars? No one is sure. A
   good outlook to survey the surrounding area, Siccar Point stands out
   from its surroundings in Gale Crater. The unusual mound was visited by
   the robotic Curiosity rover exploring Mars late last year. Siccar Point
   not only has a distinctive shape, it has dark rocks above lighter
   rocks. The apparent much younger age of the dark rocks indicates a
   time-break in the usual geological ordering of rock layers -- by a
   process yet unknown. The Martian hill is named for Siccar Point on
   Earth, a place in Scotland itself distinctive as a junction between two
   different rock layers. Curiosity continues to explore Gale crater on
   Mars, looking for clues of ancient life. Simultaneously, 2300
   kilometers away, its sister rover Perseverance explores Jezero crater,
   there assisted by the flight-capable scout Ingenuity.

                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

