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Floating 'spoon' on Mars turns out to be a wind-shaped rock
The spoon-shaped rock was photographed by Curiosity on Mars in twenty fifteen and NASA likely credits wind erosion; the cutlery drawer remains empty.
On air: Hank Ledger and Vera Bullock on BBN NewsroomPublished
Photo: NASA · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBNWatch it as it aired: Hank Ledger and Vera Bullock on this story, from BBN Newsroom at 11:01 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are BBC Sky at Night Magazine's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by BBC Sky at Night Magazine: “There's a weird 'floating spoon' on Mars. This is where it came from and what the image really shows”, with reporting from Space.com.
- Covered on BBN on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 11:01 AM ET on BBN Newsroom, by Hank Ledger and Vera Bullock.
- Topics: Mars.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
- BBC Sky at Night MagazineThere's a weird 'floating spoon' on Mars. This is where it came from and what the image really shows
- Space.com'Floating Spoon' on Mars Is Just a Weird Rock, But Still Awesome September 3, 2015 · facts used on air
What BBN said about it
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorA rock on Mars that looks like a floating spoon is back in the news.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorNASA's Curiosity rover photographed it on August thirtieth, twenty fifteen, its one thousand eighty-ninth day on Mars.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorA handle, a rounded tip, and its own spoon-shaped shadow. Mars is clearly hosting a brunch and we weren't invited.
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Photo: P J Hansen · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: JJ Harrison ( https://www.jjharrison.com.au/ ) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) /… · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: M. Rehemtulla · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Hameltion · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Julio-César Chávez · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Tuesday, October 20, 2026 · the Weird News archive · all months
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