Loeb's track record includes controversial claims about interstellar objects, so take the urgency with a grain of salt. But the question is fair: if we're spending billions on Mars exploration, shouldn't we at least check out the weird party hat?
What makes it interesting: The highly geometric shape stands out sharply against Mars' craggy, chaotic surface. It's "shiny" and symmetrical — which is why it's drawing attention beyond the usual "weird rock on Mars" crowd.
The object was originally spotted by amateur Mars researcher Rami Bar Ilan in NASA's photo archives, then brought to Loeb's attention by Dr. Jan Spacek from the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution. NASA hasn't officially identified it yet.
The leading theory? Human-made debris. Curiosity has been roaming Mars since 2012, and the cone could be hardware the rover itself shed during operation. It's about 5 miles from Curiosity's current position on Mount Sharp's slopes.
Loeb's argument: NASA should prioritize examining this cylinder over "more mundane tasks" Curiosity is currently doing. He's polling taxpayers on this — claiming they'd agree that understanding the origin of this mysterious object should be the rover's top priority.
A mysterious cone-shaped object on Mars — roughly 20cm tall, flat-ended, and weirdly geometric — is sitting in Gale Crater, and Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb wants NASA to stop what it's doing and investigate. The object was photographed by Curiosity Rover in 2022 but only recently flagged as potentially significant.
6/6 🧵
Loeb's track record includes controversial claims about interstellar objects, so take the urgency with a grain of salt. But the question is fair: if we're spending billions on Mars exploration, shouldn't we at least check out the weird party hat?
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5/6 🧵
What makes it interesting: The highly geometric shape stands out sharply against Mars' craggy, chaotic surface. It's "shiny" and symmetrical — which is why it's drawing attention beyond the usual "weird rock on Mars" crowd.
4/6 🧵
The object was originally spotted by amateur Mars researcher Rami Bar Ilan in NASA's photo archives, then brought to Loeb's attention by Dr. Jan Spacek from the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution. NASA hasn't officially identified it yet.
3/6 🧵
The leading theory? Human-made debris. Curiosity has been roaming Mars since 2012, and the cone could be hardware the rover itself shed during operation. It's about 5 miles from Curiosity's current position on Mount Sharp's slopes.
2/6 🧵
Loeb's argument: NASA should prioritize examining this cylinder over "more mundane tasks" Curiosity is currently doing. He's polling taxpayers on this — claiming they'd agree that understanding the origin of this mysterious object should be the rover's top priority.
1/6 🧵
A mysterious cone-shaped object on Mars — roughly 20cm tall, flat-ended, and weirdly geometric — is sitting in Gale Crater, and Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb wants NASA to stop what it's doing and investigate. The object was photographed by Curiosity Rover in 2022 but only recently flagged as potentially significant.