NASA’s Curiosity rover has been exploring the surface of Mars since 2012, taking stunning images and collecting valuable data. But one of its recent photos has caught the attention of many people online, as it seems to show a mysterious doorway on the Martian rock.
The photo was taken on May 7, 2022, as the rover was climbing Mount Sharp, a 5-kilometer-high mountain in the center of Gale Crater. The image shows a rectangular opening in the rock face, with a dark shadow inside. Some have speculated that this could be an entrance to an underground alien base or a tomb of an ancient civilization.
However, NASA and other experts have explained that the doorway is nothing more than a natural geological feature, caused by fractures in the sandstone. The sandstone was formed from ancient sand dunes that were cemented together over time, and then exposed to erosion and pressure changes. The fractures are generally vertical, and sometimes they create gaps or cavities in the rock.
According to NASA’s project scientist Ashwin Vasavada, the doorway is only about a foot tall, and it does not lead to anything interesting. He said that this is a common example of pareidolia, a phenomenon where people see familiar shapes or patterns in random objects. In the past, people have claimed to see faces, animals, and even spoons on Mars, but they are all illusions created by our brains.
The Curiosity rover is not interested in the doorway either, as it has more important scientific goals to pursue. It is currently studying the geology and climate of Mount Sharp, looking for evidence of past habitable environments and organic molecules. The rover has already made many discoveries on Mars, such as finding traces of water, methane, and ancient riverbeds.
The doorway photo is just one of the thousands of images that Curiosity has sent back to Earth, and you can see more of them on NASA’s website: https://screenrant.com/mars-doorway-photo-nasa-rover-alien-explained/