Every now and then, one of the robots on Mars sends back a picture of an unusual rock it has found on its journeys. After all ...

In September, NASA's Perseverance rover captured images that have stirred up fascination and debate, with some formations ...

with the US space agency stating it is "unlike any" debris seen on Mars before. The object of this fascination is a black and white striped rock, dubbed 'Freya Castle' or "zebra rock".

Mars, often referred to as the Red Planet ... is covered in black-and-white stripes, giving it a "zebra rock" appearance. Scientists believe the rock may have formed from volcanic or metamorphic ...

Or, this "zebra rock", which is "unlike any [rock] seen on Mars before".

The images Perseverance captured late in September show a panorama of the Jezero Crater where the rover landed in February ...

The presence of white rocks on Mars is particularly intriguing due to the planet's predominantly basaltic crust, which is typically dark in colour.

striped rock the agency calls the "zebra rock" that is theorized to have rolled downhill. Because the rock was unlike anything yet encountered on Mars, the team had expressed hope that its ...