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Space oddities: Mars Rover’s weird to mark 5 years on Red Planet

Space oddities: Mars Rover’s weird to mark 5 years on Red Planet
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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!"

The lightsaber-shaped titanium tube containing a rock sample resting on the Red Planet's surface was placed there on Dec. 21, 2025. / By Talker
The 'turtle'-shaped rock spotted by NASA's Perseverance rover on August 31, 2025. (NASA / JPL-Caltech via SWNS) / By Talker
An egg-like rock on Mars from April 2023. (NASA / JPL-Caltech via SWNS) / By Talker
Mars rock that has been compared to a sombrero and an avocado photo taken on September 8, 2023. (NASA / JPL-Caltech via SWNS) / By Talker
NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image of the “St. Pauls Bay” target (the dark-toned float block in the right of the view) using its Left Mastcam-Z camera, one of a pair of cameras located high on the rover’s remote-sensing mast. Perseverance acquired this image on March 13, 2025. (NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU via SWNS) / By Talker
Image of the rock on the Mars rover Perseverance acquired on May 26, 2022 (Sol 449). (NASA / JPL-Caltech via SWNS) / By Talker
A Mars rock that looks like a male appendage, June 2023. NASA's Perseverance Rover is celebrating five years on Mars this week. A quirky gallery shows 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. / By Talker
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover photographed what NASA describes as a "doughnut-shaped" rock on 22 June. NASA's Perseverance Rover is celebrating five years on Mars this week. A quirky gallery shows 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. / By Talker

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