Mars has been the subject of fascination to us humans for ages now. Trips to the Red Planet have been depicted in science fiction since the 1880s, and in the 1940s it became the subject of aerospace engineering proposals. Today NASA scientists are even talking about creating long-term settlements and terraforming the planet. Here are the most recent images captured from the surface of the red planet…
Obviously, actual blueberries couldn’t have made it all the way to Mars. So what are these things then? Well, researchers are still trying to figure that out, but what we do know is that there’s a whole field with these little spherical blue rocks that look like little blueberries from far away! It’s probably not a good idea to eat one though…
This photo was captured near Mars’ south pole and shows a perfectly circular hole. The stuff at the bottom is frozen carbon dioxide and it’s estimated that the hole is a few hundred meters across, as we’ve only seen it from orbit so far.
While some will assert that this image is of a simple rock that happens to be shaped like an iguana, others disagree: “To say it’s just a rock would be very closed-minded to the evidence at hand,” said Scott C. Waring, owner of the UFO Daily Sightings Blog. What do you think it is?
This “pyramid” is yet another finding that made conspiracy theorists and UFO enthusiasts go absolutely nuts. Some have even asserted that it’s a message sent from an alien civilization. But no, unfortunately, “it is a rock,” according to Dr. Jim Bell (pictured) of the Curiosity program.
Similarly to the spherical “blueberries,” in 2012 the Opportunity rover got a shot of this unique formation off of Mars’ Kirkwood outcrop. Despite how similar they look to the blueberries, NASA says that these spherules “do not have the iron-rich composition of the blueberries. They also differ in concentration, distribution and structure.” So what are these things then? Well, NASA isn’t quite sure yet, and in fact calls them “puzzling.”
Just like here on earth, dust devils present themselves as hazards on the Martian surface – So much so that future humans will need to figure out how to protect themselves against it! The Opportunity rover was the first to spot such weather phenomena which confirmed any theories scientists had about there being little twisters on Mars. Now, rovers come equipped against dust devils.
This image was taken in Mars’ south pole area and it clearly looks like Beaker the lab assistant from The Muppets. What makes up Beaker’s face here is areas of frozen carbon dioxide that’re chockful of mesas and pits that sometimes form interesting shapes.
The Jake Matijevich (left) rock is perhaps the most famous rock on the entire planet of Mars, and that’s because it’s composed of minerals that are typically found in Earth’s core. Researchers aren’t exactly sure why this is yet, so alas, it’ll be left a cliffhanger for now!
Now, who was Jake Matijevich, you ask? He was a NASA engineer who was involved in developing the Sojourner, Spirit, Curiosity, and Opportunity rovers. It seems pretty fitting that a part of Mars would be named after him, doesn’t it?
In 2007, the Spirit rover captured this image of some rock formations – one of which clearly looks like a statue, or even Bigfoot. The blog UFO Sightings Daily claimed that it was some sort of female statue put there by aliens, but the Planetary Society debunked that claim, saying that it is likely just an optical illusion.
The “egg rock” is a smooth meteorite that was discovered by the Curiosity rover in 2016. It was spotted around the base of Mount Sharp in the Gale crater on Mars and is made of iron and nickel.
On the right is a photo of a statue of a Neo-Assyrian god, and on the left is an image of a rock taken by the Opportunity rover that looks eerily similar to the former. But at the end of the day, it’s simply the result of the phenomenon called pareidolia, or (as it is in this case) the tendency to see a human face in an inanimate object.
In 2021, the Curiosity rover spotted this shiny object in the soil on Mars’ surface. What might be even crazier is the fact that this entire photograph covers just 1.6 inches, so it’s pretty impressive that the rover was able to pick it up at all! Scientists have confirmed that the object is likely just a part of the geology on Mars.
When this image was released it became the subject of conspiracy theories galore. Despite what it looks like, it’s not a human bone, but rather just a bone-shaped rock. We can see how it garnered a lot of attention though, as it does look awfully suspicious!
Just like on earth, once the weather warms up and the ice (made from CO2) starts melting, avalanches can get triggered on the cliffs of Mars. This photo is of a Martian avalanche in 2010.
This crater looks an awful lot like a tadpole, don’t you think? Well as it turns out, the little “tail” on the end is the result of water movement carving out the landscape. So, Mars has no actual amphibians to speak of, but it still looks pretty cool!
The “Dragon Scales” refer to a hillside that looks as such because of water erosion. What scientists don’t understand, however, is the nature of the water that was responsible for the erosion. Some believe it could’ve been due to dry ice sliding down the side of the mountain. Either way, it looks like something out of Game of Thrones!
The Curiosity rover caught this image that looks like another ordinary shot of the Martian terrain. However, if you look a bit more closely you can see what appears to be a strange creature hiding in the folds of the cliff. After a Facebook group took it upon themselves to zoom in on the strange creature, many began likening it to some sort of crab monster. But alas, it’s just another trick of the light and shadows, say scientists.
Even the most hardcore skeptics can’t argue that this looks like some sort of humanoid making a kissy face. Unfortunately it’s yet another rock formation, but it does look quite peculiar. Clearly another example of pareidolia!
Morse code is already not understood by most of us regular earthly humans, so what’s the chance that it could randomly show up on the surface of Mars? The Reconnaissance orbiter snapped this unusual sight of some odd formations that indeed look like they could pass for Morse code. The sequence spelled out, “NEE NED ZB 6TNN DEIBEDH SIEFI EBEEE SSIEI ESEE SEEE,” so unless it’s some unknown Martian language, unfortunately it can’t be counted as actual Morse code.
This 1.2 mile-wide waffle-shaped island almost looks good enough to pour maple syrup on, doesn’t it? The Reconnaissance orbiter snapped this photo in 2014. The reason for its waffle-like appearance? It’s located in an area with lots of lava flows. We don’t know about you, but now we’re craving waffles…
The “face” found on Mars is probably one of the most famous photos taken on the Red Planet by the Viking 1 and 2 orbiters. Interestingly, while it clearly looks like a human face from these low-resolution images, newer high-resolution images show that it’s actually a mountain structure that doesn’t look much like a human face at all!
Researchers have grappled with whether Mars has liquid water for ages. Some have even asserted that the entire planet is made up of numerous lakes. Recent evidence suggests that liquid water existed on Mars for around a million years, and that it didn’t just dry up all at once, as was previously thought.
In 2014, Curiosity snapped this photo of what appears to be a “light on the horizon.” While it greatly excited the extraterrestrial enthusiasts, NASA researchers were quick to dispel any alien rumors and clarified that the light was likely caused by a cosmic ray hit.
This is not a real fish, but rather a rock shaped like a fish fossil. The photo was snapped by the Curiosity rover, and unfortunately for extraterrestrial enthusiasts everywhere, NASA had this to say about the faux fish: “Mars likely never had enough oxygen in its atmosphere and elsewhere to support more complex organisms. Thus, large fossils are not likely.”
It’s fascinating how nature can just create unique patterns on its own, isn’t it? Lava coils almost look too perfect to have been made by nature, but they are indeed the result of ancient lava flow on Mars.
This image, captured by Curiosity in 2013, shows a small hunk of metal found on Mars’ surface. Unfortunately it’s likely not due to an ancient alien race, but rather it’s a piece of a meteorite and the right lighting.
This unique-looking crater clearly looks like everyone’s favorite old-school video game hero, Pac-Man. So how did it end up looking like this? It’s likely due to an impact crater with a crescent-shaped sand dune inside.
