Scientists from the European Space Agency (ESA) have spotted a smiley face-shaped salt deposit on the Mars surface.
Scientists also said that the plane where the smiley face is located on the Red Planet could have supported life because of its huge salt deposits.
Captured by the ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, the salt deposits are thought to be remains from the planet’s former lakes and rivers that existed billions of years ago.
The ESA uploaded the image to Instagram with a cute caption saying “Why so serious?.
Not Just A Smiley Face
The smiley face is of little importance to scientists (in terms of appearance) as they continue to work and discover potential life zones on the Red Planet.
Planetary scientist Valentin Bickel, who led the research, explained that the exact region of the smiley face holds huge reserves of salts which could indicate the presence of life.
He added that the salt allowed water to remain liquid even in the freezing conditions of ancient Mars.
