Socrates

A quote from Xenophon, in which Socrates describes a disorderly heap of 'stones, bricks, timber and shards', is being used to describe a new image of the Martian surface taken by NASA's Perseverance rover. The picture, processed from a 110mm view looking northwest on Sol 1994, shows scattered rocks that apparently reminded one observer of the ancient description. The pairing of a 2,400-year-old phrase with a robot's photo from Mars is what gives the item its charm.