A resurfaced NASA Spirit rover snap appears to show a humanoid figure with its arms outstretched and one leg forward as if it’s been caught mid-stride
A headscratching NASA photo has sent the internet into meltdown after eagle-eyed viewers spotted what looks like a “humanoid figure” on the surface of Mars.
The stunning photo- originally snapped by NASA’s Spirit rover in November 2007 – has suddenly resurfaced online, with some convinced it shows a “walking man” in the distance.
Nestled among rocks is a strange shape that appears to have its arms outstretched and one leg forward, as if it’s been caught mid-stride on the Red Planet.
It has been dubbed the “Mars Bigfoot” and it tends to explode again whenever it starts trending on social media. One Reddit user brushed off the hype, writing: “I’m sorry but this looks like some shadow that could be from anything and I do think UFOs are totally real (aliens too).“
Others were more convinced though. “That’s Bigfoot!” one insisted, while another added: “This is it, I’m convinced (of what I have no idea).”
One quipped: “Bigfoot had enough of earth and rednecks” and another simply dubbed the creature: “Marsquatch”.
Despite the wild claims, the photo itself is completely authentic. It was taken by Spirit at a site called “Home Plate” inside Gusev Crater, a bleak landscape of volcanic rocks and dust.
However in the original, uncropped NASA image, the object is tiny; a rock formation measuring just 6 centimetres (around 2 inches) tall.
The dramatic “walking man” effect comes from zooming and cropping, which destroys the sense of scale.
Scientists say it’s a classic case of pareidolia; the brain’s tendency to see familiar shapes, especially human bodies and faces, in random patterns, Space reported.
After being eroded by harsh Martian winds over vast timescales, the rock just happens to resemble a bipedal silhouette.
Life as we know it is not currently possible on the surface of Mars. Scientists do, however, think microscopic life may have existed there billions of years ago, when the planet was warmer and wetter, Teach Astronomy explains.
Today’s Mars is an insanely hostile desert that would quickly kill any Earth organism. One of the biggest problems is Mars’ atmosphere.
The air is around 100 times thinner than Earth’s and is about 95% carbon dioxide, with almost no oxygen, according to the Robot Report. With such low air pressure, liquid water can’t remain stable on the surface; it would boil away or freeze almost instantly.
Furthermore, Mars is further from the Sun and doesn’t have a thick atmosphere to hold in warmth, so it’s a frozen wasteland. The average surface temperature is around minus 62°C, and at the poles it can plunge to a deadly -140°C.
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