Something punched through ice on Mars, leaving behind what looks like the indent from an evil character in a cartoon movie: a dark splat.
The impact crater, less than 0.62 miles (1 kilometer) across, resulted when a space rock such as a meteoroid, asteroid or comet hit the southern ice cap of the Red Planet between July and September of last year, according to a statement from the University of Arizona.
What resulted was a two-toned splat: a dark inner tone, surrounded by a lighter shade. When the impactor hit the planet, it punctured the thin ice, launching dark sand from below it in all directions. The lighter color surrounding the splat could have resulted from the “scouring by winds from the impact shockwave,” according to the statement.