‘Shiny’ geometric mystery object spotted on Mars sparks call for NASA probe
A cone-shaped object resembling a party hat has sparked renewed interest on Mars, with some scientists speculating it could be significant, while others think it may simply be debris.
The item, measuring about 20 centimeters with a flat end, was first captured by NASA’s Curiosity Rover in 2022 within Gale Crater near the planet’s equator. Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb highlighted the object on March 8 in a Medium post, prompting a fresh debate about its origin.
Loeb questioned whether the cylinder should be dismissed as ordinary human-made trash or if Curiosity should return to investigate its true nature. The rover, roughly the size of a small SUV, is currently on the slopes of Mount Sharp, about five miles from the object.
“The most probable explanation is that it’s human-made debris,” Loeb wrote, though he stressed the importance of confirming that conclusion. He also told The Post that NASA should prioritize examining the cylinder over the rover’s other ongoing tasks, emphasizing that taxpayer funding supports such missions.
The cone was initially discovered in NASA’s image archives by amateur Mars researcher Rami Bar Ilan and later brought to Loeb’s attention by Dr. Jan Spacek of the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, based in Florida.
NASA has yet to officially identify the object. Loeb noted it might even be a piece of the Curiosity Rover itself, possibly discarded during its decade-plus exploration of the Martian surface. The rover has been active in the region since 2012.
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