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Mars: Crater found that looks like an ear!

ear-shaped-crater-on-Mars.Image source, NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Image caption,

Do you think the crater looks like an ear?

Mars is a planet lots of people are interested in finding out more about and the exploration of the red planet is already well underway.

Rovers currently stationed on Mars have captured some incredible images, but Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter recently snapped something rather unusual!

It came across a crater on the planet with a rather human resemblance - it's shaped like an ear!

The cool crater was spotted by the MRO HiRise camera team based at the University of Arizona.

"Is it pareidolia, where we see patterns where they do not really exist, if the shape really does resemble something?" the team posted on social media along with an image of the ear-shaped crater.

"In this case, we're looking at an odd-shaped impact crater that looks a great deal like an ear."

The crater is believed to be just over 1,800 metres in width and is located in Chryse Planitia in the Northern Hemisphere of Mars.

The 'ear' crater isn't the only oddly shaped discovery that's been found on the Red Planet, check out these other interesting finds...

What other strange shapes have been spotted on Mars?

Image source, NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

The Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) came across this 'Happy Face' crater all the way back in 1999!

The hole, which is officially known as the Galle Crater, was first snapped near its location on the east side of Argyre Planitia.

It's about 134 miles across, which is a whopping 215,000 metres!

Image source, NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this picture of a heart-shaped feature in Arabia Terra on Mars back in 2010.

The heart itself isn't a hole on the red planet, but an impact crater near it's tip is responsible for its formation.

When the impact happened, the darker material on the surface would have been blown away, exposing the brighter material underneath and ultimately forming the cute shape.

Image source, NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona

Some have said this final crater looks like it has feet with toes sticking out of the sides - what do you think!

It was captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter back in 2014 and is believed to be the result of an impact event.

What do you think about Mars' 'ear' crater? Do you think it resembles a human ear? Let us know in the comments below!