October 8, 2026: NASA’s Perseverance spacecraft finds unexpected geological strata.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:55 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 6:20 p.m. CDT. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA 4computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
A new study reveals that Jezero Crater’s enigmatic ‘Margin Unit’ was shaped by a complex sequence of ancient lakes, groundwater systems, and hydrothermal fluids.
When NASA’s Perseverance rover reached the inner edge of Mars’ Jezero Crater in September 2023, mission scientists were surprised by what they found. Called the “Margin Unit,” the geologic area stretches along the shoreline of an ancient Martian lake, so they expected sedimentary rocks, which would have formed as layers of sand piled on top of each other over millennia. Composed of clay and silt, sedimentary rocks on Earth are good at preserving past microbial life. The scientists were especially intrigued by strong signals of carbonate minerals detected by Mars orbiters. On Earth, carbonates frequently form in shallow ocean and lake environments capable of supporting life.
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I am on a writing hiatus, so I am sharing some recent astronomy news while I am away from the keyboard. I will step in when an interesting event is occurring such as when Mars appears to be in the Beehive on October 11. Use a binocular to watch Mars close in on the star cluster during the next few mornings – JLH
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