Astronomy:Phippsaksla

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Phippsaksla is an unusually shaped rock imaged by NASA Perseverance rover in September 2025 outside Jezero Crater on Mars. During exploration of a fractured bedrock outcrop at a site nicknamed "Vernodden," Perseverance imaged the rock, which is believed to be non-Martian.[1][2]

Etymology

The Perseverance team named the rock Phippsaksla after a place in Svalbard.[3] NASA often names Martian rocks and features after locations on Earth to help scientists identify and discuss them more easily.[4]

Discovery

The Perseverance rover first imaged Phippsaksla on Sol 1612 (September 2, 2025) and again on Sol 1629 (September 19, 2025). The rock distinct sculpted and elevated appearance standing out compared to the flat and fragmented surrounding bedrock prompted further analysis.[5][6] The Perseverance rover used the SuperCam instrument to analyze the rock composition.[7]

Physical properties and composition

Phippsaksla measures approximately 80 centimetres (≈ 31 inches) across.[8] Using the rover's SuperCam instrument (a laser + spectrometer), scientists detected high levels of iron and nickel in the rock.[9] This iron-nickel composition is characteristic of iron-nickel meteorites, which are believed to form in the cores of large asteroids, rather than typical Martian bedrock.[10][11]

Significance

Meteorites like Phippsaksla are scientifically important as they potentially preserve material from early Solar System bodies (asteroids), and studying them can shed light on the history of asteroid impacts and planetary material transfer.[12][13] Scientists are cautious; further in-situ investigations are necessary to confirm that Phippsaksla is genuinely an iron-nickel meteorite, and not a rock formed on Mars under unusual conditions.[14]

Evidences indicate that the Phippsaksla specimen likely did not originate on Mars itself. Instead, it appears to have been part of a meteoritic body that impacted the Martian surface in the distant past.[15][16]

See also

  • Jake Matijevic (rock)
  • List of individual rocks

References

  1. ↑ Bedford, Candice (2025-11-13). "A Stranger in Our Midst? - NASA Science" (in en-US). https://science.nasa.gov/blog/a-stranger-in-our-midst/. 
  2. ↑ Wehner, Greg (2025-11-19). "Perseverance rover spots mysterious 'visitor from outer space' rock on Mars surface after 4 years" (in en-US). Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/tech/perseverance-rover-spots-mysterious-visitor-from-outer-space-rock-mars-surface-after-four-years. 
  3. ↑ "Space mystery leaves scientists baffled as rock found on Mars 'doesn't belong there'" (in en). https://www.gbnews.com/science/space-mystery-scientists-rock-mars. 
  4. ↑ "NASA's Perseverance Rover Scientists Find Intriguing Mars Rock" (in en-US). https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-rover-scientists-find-intriguing-mars-rock/. 
  5. ↑ Cowing, Keith (2025-11-18). "Perseverance Encounters A Possible Meteorite On Mars" (in en-US). https://astrobiology.com/2025/11/perseverance-encounters-a-possible-meteorite-on-mars.html. 
  6. ↑ "NASA Spots Weird Rock On Mars That Shouldn't Be There". NDTV. 19 November 2025. https://www.ndtv.com/science/nasa-spots-weird-rock-on-mars-that-shouldnt-be-there-9661019. 
  7. ↑ "NASA Perseverance rover spots weird rock on Mars". The Independent. 19 November 2025. https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/nasa-perseverance-rover-mars-rock-b2868746.html. 
  8. ↑ Nield, David (2025-11-18). "NASA Discovered a Rock on Mars That Doesn't Belong There" (in en-US). https://www.sciencealert.com/nasa-discovered-a-rock-on-mars-that-doesnt-belong-there. 
  9. ↑ Civida, Emma (2025-11-18). "Il Rover Perseverance e la Nuova Scoperta della Roccia Phippsaksla" (in it-IT). https://www.scienzenotizie.it/2025/11/18/il-rover-perseverance-e-la-nuova-scoperta-della-roccia-phippsaksla-20120269. 
  10. ↑ "Qué es Phippsaksla, la extraña roca que la NASA encontró en Marte (y no debería estar ahí)" (in es). 2025-11-20. https://tn.com.ar/tecno/ciencia/2025/11/20/un-intruso-en-marte-la-nasa-encontro-en-el-planeta-rojo-una-roca-que-no-deberia-estar-alli/. 
  11. ↑ "Alien visitor on Mars? NASA finds 'unusual' 31-inches wide rock on red planet that didn't belong there, scientists stunned". The Economic Times. 2025-11-20. ISSN 0013-0389. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/global-trends/us-news-alien-visitor-on-mars-nasa-finds-unusual-31-inches-wide-rock-on-red-planet-that-didnt-belong-there-scientists-stunned/articleshow/125459472.cms?from=mdr. 
  12. ↑ "Martian Meteorite Discovery Reveals Ancient Asteroid Core Fragment" (in en-US). 2025-11-20. https://modernengineeringmarvels.com/2025/11/20/martian-meteorite-discovery-reveals-ancient-asteroid-core-fragment/. 
  13. ↑ "NASA's Perseverance rover spots unusual iron-nickel rock that could be a 'visitor' to Mars" (in en). 2025-11-21. https://www.livemint.com/science/news/nasas-perseverance-rover-spots-unusual-iron-nickel-rock-that-could-be-a-visitor-to-mars-11763668399844.html. 
  14. ↑ "Perseverance Rover Investigates Possible Alien Rock On Mars" (in en-US). 2025-11-20. https://quantumzeitgeist.com/nasa-perseverance-rover-mars-meteorite/. 
  15. ↑ "NASA discovers rock on Mars that shouldn't be there" (in en-US). New York Post. 2025-11-19. https://nypost.com/2025/11/19/science/nasa-discovers-rock-on-mars-that-shouldnt-be-there/. 
  16. ↑ "NASA's Perseverance rover finds alien rock on Mars". https://www.obnews.co/Flow/News/id/12773619.html?val=5b224938b7f222b80f1491038ac1757a&ch=oppo&g_v=hkgdkm2Cxu2Q-jUiFd8-KZR0kPsjzdeweI8GHMT8S20. "The analysis revealed high levels of iron and nickel, elements commonly found in metallic meteorites. These metals are believed to originate from the cores of large asteroids. This discovery indicates that Phippsaksla may not be a native Martian rock but one that has traveled through space and landed on Mars." 



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