{"id":5882,"date":"2025-03-25T14:34:54","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T14:34:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thataintnoplane.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/25\/the-tic-tac-on-mars-is-just-one-of-many-oddly-shaped-rock-formations\/"},"modified":"2025-03-25T14:34:54","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T14:34:54","slug":"the-tic-tac-on-mars-is-just-one-of-many-oddly-shaped-rock-formations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thataintnoplane.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/25\/the-tic-tac-on-mars-is-just-one-of-many-oddly-shaped-rock-formations\/","title":{"rendered":"The ‘tic-tac’ on Mars is just one of many oddly-shaped rock formations."},"content":{"rendered":"

The ‘tic-tac’ formation on Mars is just one of many intriguing rock shapes found on the planet. I want to approach the recent image shared here with a dose of skepticism and some perspective.<\/p>\n

Initially, I questioned the validity of the image, suspecting it had been AI upscaled, as such processes can introduce misleading artifacts. However, thanks to \/u\/Responsible_Fix_5443’s input, I could not find any evidence that this image has been upscaled. The source of the colorized version is still unclear to me.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, different images provide a plausible explanation for what we\u2019re seeing. This subreddit often calls for diverse visual analyses, and we\u2019re fortunate to have multiple perspectives from the Rover’s captures.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m referencing two specific images:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Image 1<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Image 2<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    To aid comparison, I\u2019ve placed the two images side by side:<\/p>\n

    Comparison 1<\/a><\/p>\n

    Comparison 2<\/a><\/p>\n

    In Comparison 2, you can see that the ‘tic-tac’ casts a longer shadow than expected, likely influenced by the shadow of an overhanging rock nearby, which extends and amplifies its appearance.<\/p>\n

    It’s important to note that the ‘tic-tac’ is indeed a distinctive rock formation. Its unique shape may come across differently due to the image processing\u2014though I suspect the image retains some authenticity beyond any AI interference. Interestingly, a similar hanging rock is visible in the image below.<\/p>\n

    Comparison 3<\/a><\/p>\n

    While it\u2019s thrilling to entertain the idea of unidentified aerial phenomena zooming around, I believe it\u2019s crucial to consider that this might simply be a natural geological formation.<\/p>\n

    Edit:
    \nu\/RandoWebPerson brought up valuable counterpoints that deserve attention.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. \n

      My initial analysis didn\u2019t adequately address the sheen and shape of the object. While I want to attribute this to random camera effects, I’m not very familiar with the specifics of how these sensors operate. Input from those more knowledgeable would be appreciated.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    2. \n

      A better counter to my theory would involve taking a closer look at the formation’s location and context.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    3. \n

      Additionally, as discussed in a recent Discord chat, if this rock formation truly resembles a tic-tac, and if the shadows of the nearby rocks happen to align perfectly to form that effect, it would indeed be an incredible and likely rare coincidence. Hopefully, some naysayers can take note of this and develop more constructive critiques rather than simple dismissals.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      \nThe ‘tic-tac’ formation on Mars is just one of many intriguing rock shapes found on the planet. I want to approach the recent image shared here with a dose of skepticism and some perspective. Initially, I questioned the validity of the image, suspecting it had been AI upscaled, as such processes can introduce misleading artifacts.…\n<\/div>\n
      Continue reading “The ‘tic-tac’ on Mars is just one of many oddly-shaped rock formations.”<\/span>…<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":708,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ufos","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thataintnoplane.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thataintnoplane.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thataintnoplane.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thataintnoplane.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thataintnoplane.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5882"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thataintnoplane.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5882\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thataintnoplane.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thataintnoplane.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thataintnoplane.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thataintnoplane.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}