Scientists who sifted through photos shot by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) were surprised to discover a dune on the surface of the Red Planet that looks oddly familiar. No, this isn’t a Photoshop job, but rather a real formation that looks like Star Trek’s ‘Starfleet logo’. Unfortunately (or fortunately), this doesn’t provide enough evidence to conclude that Captain Philippa Georgiou and Commander Michael Burnham from the Star Trek: Discovery pilot actually visited the planet.
Researchers believe that the curious chevron shapes – found in volcanic plain of the southeast Hellas Planitia – are caused by a complex story of dunes, lava, and wind. Many eons ago, there were large crescent-shaped – or barchan – dunes that moved across this area, and at some point, there was a volcanic eruption. Another name for these would be ‘dune casts’ and they record the presence of dunes that were surrounded by lava.
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