NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has released a reflected-light image of a slice of the meteorite Teghaza 001, which the agency describes as one of the most ancient Martian meteorites ever found on Earth. According to NASA, the slice was used to determine the age of the rock, and images of this kind help scientists locate minerals of interest for analysis with different instruments.

An annotated version of the image marks iron-titanium oxides as brighter grains and pyroxene as medium gray. NASA says both minerals offer information about the formation of Mars' crust and mantle. The darker gray areas show shocked plagioclase, which the agency says forms under extreme pressures during impacts, including the one that sent Teghaza 001 through space to Earth. The image also shows alteration in the form of fine-grained carbonate, sulfate and clay minerals that NASA says formed on Earth.

The image carries the identifier PIA26801 and was credited to NASA, JPL-Caltech. Its addition date was listed as October 29, 2026.