Weird “Mr. Peanut” Look-a-Like Formation on Mars Surface Spotted in NASA’s Recent MRO Image

NASA's new image from Mars looks like the beloved Mr Peanut. The image appears to be a pit on the surface of the Red Planet, but NASA explains the pattern.

The round shapes that seem to resemble the silhouette of Mr Peanut were recently taken by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). It was tweeted by the University of Arizona HiRise, the group that manages images captured by MRO.

The "Mr Peanut" image is one of the strange landscapes on the surface of the Red Planet. Images with odd shapes are expected and sometimes look like a peanut company's mascot, shares the HiRise team.

Odd Surfaces on Mars

CNET reports that these bizarre and weirdly shaped landscapes are a natural occurrence on Mars. The planet's residual caps grow and expand due to the constant carbon dioxide change in the planet's atmosphere. With a span of 144.8 million km² that contains the compound added with distinctive landscapes, Mars' surface will surely exhibit shifts, creating odd, but surprisingly marvellous figures.

HiRise geologist Alfred McEwen explains that carbon dioxide on the red planet greatly affects the transitions of its environment. The alteration of pits and slopes on the Red planet's surface is a result of years worth of continuous sublimation process.

The Mr Peanut shape is one of the famed products of the cycle of sublimation. The solid materials on Mars' unique veneer convert to gaseous particles. In addition, dry ice also contributes to odd and unusual patterns. There are countless images taken from the Red Planet that have interesting patterns. And this is all thanks to NASA's orbiter, MRO.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)

Since 2005, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was a vital instrument in understanding the planet Mars. In addition, it serves as Earth's watchtower on Mars, as it is capable of doing numerous tasks that any other orbiters and rovers combined could not be able to do.

There are several functions that the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter can execute other than to feed images of Mars' landscapes back to Earth. It is beneficial for researchers and astronauts conducting studies on the features and composition of our closest relative--Mars. It collects data from the surface, tracks the atmospheric properties, and probes beneath the exterior of the planet, giving vital information that could lead to further understanding the many mysteries of the Red Planet.

The craft also analyzes the pattern of Phobos and Deimos, the red planet's moons. This function also helps determine possible landing sites for ships and manned stations on future missions.

But the main objective of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is to find the origins and distribution of water on the planet, which researchers have been itching to solve for years.

Whether water is in the vapor, liquid or frozen form, it will be a great discovery to the future of potential Mars projects.

MRO is equipped with eight additional payloads that will help the orbiter carry out the mission. One of them is the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, the device that captured Mr Peanut.

Check out more news and information on Mars on Science Times.