October 12, 2022 at 6:12 pm

The Perseverance Rover Spies What Appears To Be A Cat On Mars

by Trisha Leigh

There are people all over the world that are holding their breath waiting for the next images to come back from Perseverance as it makes its way around Mars, taking pictures and documenting its trip.

If you asked any of them what they were least expecting to hear, it’s that a “cat” has been spotted – and sure, it’s just a rock, but it really looks like a cat ready to pounce (or sitting still, depending on how you look at it).

 The Perseverance Rover Spies What Appears To Be A Cat On Mars

Image Credit: NASA/JPL

The reason it looks like that to us is pareidolia, which is a behavior particular to human beings. We see meaningful images in random patterns – faces in plug sockets, animals in clouds, rocks and leaves and any number of other inanimate objects that appear to be something alive.

Now we know that rocks in outer space are no exception.

Martian face viking cropped The Perseverance Rover Spies What Appears To Be A Cat On Mars

Image Credit: Public Domain

NASA’s Perseverance is currently hanging out in an ancient river delta that, once upon a time, brought water into the Jezero crater. It’s analyzing rocks and collecting samples that will one day make it back to Earth.

The rover’s latest image of the week has been described online as a “cat loaf,” which is how cat lovers describe the position of a cat with its legs and tail tucked beneath them.

iStock 1206933183 The Perseverance Rover Spies What Appears To Be A Cat On Mars

Image Credit: iStock

Others think the left side of the rock looks like the backside of a cat in a pouncing position, and if you squint, maybe you can even see its butt start to jiggle.

What do you see in the Martian rock formation? I bet it’s something, because after all, we’re all only human.

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