Beam me up, Scotty! NASA's Reconnaissance Orbiter spots a Star Trek 'Starfleet logo' on a MARS dune
- Experts say that the curious chevron shapes are the result of a volcanic eruption
- Crescent shaped dunes were covered in lava and stuck up from Mars like islands
- As the wind continued to blow the sand piles that were the dunes migrated away
- This object was left as a 'footprint' in the lava plain of Mars' Hellas Planitia
In a case of life imitating art, scientists have spotted a 'Starfleet logo' in a sand dune on Mars.
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) took a picture of a geological formation bearing the iconic symbol and beamed it back to the space agency.
Fans of the long-running science fiction title were quick to point out that the object mirrors the plot of an episode of the latest incarnation of the show.
The dune bears an eerie similarity to the insignia trekked across a desert by Captain Philippa Georgiou and Commander Michael Burnham in the pilot of Star Trek: Discovery.
The pair walk across the surface of an alien world on which they are stranded to signal their location to the USS Shenzhou, which is in orbit.
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In a case of life imitating art, scientists have spotted a Starfleet logo in a sand dune on Mars (pictured) NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter took a picture of a geological formation bearing the iconic symbol and beamed it back to the space agency.
Experts say that the curious chevron shapes - found in volcanic plain of the southeast Hellas Planitia - are the result of a complex story of dunes, lava, and wind.
Long ago, there were large crescent-shaped - or barchan - dunes that moved across this area, and at some point, there was a volcanic eruption.
The lava flowed out over the plain and around the dunes, but not over them, say researchers from the MRO HiRise camera team at the University of Arizona
The lava solidified, with these dunes sticking up like islands.
However, as the wind continued to blow, the sand piles that were the dunes migrated away, leaving these 'footprints' in the lava plain.
These are also called 'dune casts' and record the presence of dunes that were surrounded by lava.
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The dune bears an eerie similarity to the insignia trekked across a desert by Captain Philippa Georgiou and Commander Michael Burnham in the pilot of Star Trek: Discovery. The pair walk across the surface of a planet to signal their location to the USS Shenzhou in orbit
NASA shared the image on Twitter alongside the quip: 'Enterprising viewers will make the discovery that these features look conspicuously like a famous logo.'
Fans of the show have been responding to the unusual find, as well as its similarity to the plot from the first episode.
In reference to the plight of the main characters, Jon Dale said: 'Instead of marvelling at this quirk of nature, shouldn't NASA be rescuing Captain Georgiou?'
Others shared their appreciation for the series, as well as sharing the news with fellow aficionados.
Mark Carpenter said: 'The explanation is simple. William Shatner has already been there and Martians built a great carved sand dune in his honor.'
Rose MoonFeather added: 'What if aliens only have access to our TV waves and somehow only ended up with Star Trek.. and this is their way of saying hello.'
NASA shared the image on Twitter alongside the quip: 'Enterprising viewers will make the discovery that these features look conspicuously like a famous logo'
In reference to the plight of the main characters on Star Trek: Discovery, Jon Dale said: 'Instead of marvelling at this quirk of nature, shouldn't NASA be rescuing Captain Georgiou?'
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