Until recently, astronomers only knew about exoplanets which, like those in our own solar system, orbited a single star. Then, the first one was discovered which orbits two stars, much like Tatooine in the Star Wars films. Since then, other similar planets have been found, indicating that such circumbinary planets (those which orbit double stars) may be fairly common.
The odd-looking mystery object photographed a few days ago by the Curiosity rover appears to have been positively identified now – it is just a small piece of plastic from the rover itself.
Only a few days after starting to take soil samples for the first time, the Curiosity rover has had to put its activities on hold temporarily. Mission scientists noticed something unusual in the latest images taken of the area where the rover had been digging – a small bright object on the sand. What is it?