Horizon anomaly

When the Curiosity rover beamed back its first batch of photos, a hazy, distant object mysteriously appeared and then disappeared in consecutive images of the Martian horizon. Cries of alien activity echoed across the Internet and even NASA scientists were perplexed at first. They eventually decided the hazy object was the plume of dust kicked up by the sky crane that delivered the rover close to the Martian surface, then veered off and struck the ground some 2,000 feet (600 meters) away.

'Possible ancient finger'

A piece of gravel in the Martian regolith that YouTube user StephenHannardADGUK says might be an ancient human finger, replete with fingernail.

'Possible ancient finger' closeup

Closeup of a piece of gravel in the Martian regolith that YouTube user StephenHannardADGUK says might be an ancient human finger, replete with fingernail.

'Shoe or sandal'

A rock on Mars that one YouTube user pointed out looks like a carelessly overturned sandal.

'Martian animal'

A boulder photographed by the Curiosity rover that YouTube user StephenHannardADGUK says might be a Martian animal.

'Martian animal' closeup

Closeup of a boulder photographed by the Curiosity rover that YouTube user StephenHannardADGUK says might be a Martian animal.

Distant UFOs or Photoshopped?

YouTube user ParanormalCollection posted footage Aug. 7 described as having been "leaked by NASA." It shows white dots flying around near the Martian horizon. However, the dots don't appear in the original photos released two days earlier, suggesting the white dots have been added in.

Pixel UFOs

Are these UFOs hovering in the Martian sky, or dead pixels in Curiosity's CCD camera? Speculation abounds.

Pixel UFOs

The more Photoshop filters YouTube user StephenHannardADGUK applied to these dead camera pixels, the more they resembled actual, 3D objects in the sky.

Pixel UFOs

The more Photoshop filters YouTube user StephenHannardADGUK applied to these dead camera pixels, the more they resembled actual, 3D objects in the sky.

Gallery of Curiosity Rover's 'UFO' Photos

Date: 24 August 2012 Time: 11:17 AM ET
if you liked this article, check out:

Life's Little Mysteries: Gift Edition Hardcover Book

Uncover the truth behind more than 100 mysteries that surround us every day with our new hardcover book! Perfect for gifts and classrooms, and suitable for all ages. Some of the included mysteries are:

  • Why Do Cats Land on Their Feet?
  • How Long Does it Take to Make Petrified Wood?
  • What Everyday Things Around Us Are Radioactive?

Find out all of this and much, much more in our NEW hardcover book.
It makes a great gift idea for all ages. more info>>

LLM Book
Answers to questions everyday about the world around us. From what's in the news to crazy questions you've always wondered about but never thought to ask.
Enter E-mail Address
Note: Your privacy is very important to us. We will not share your e-mail address with any third party without your permission. See our full Privacy Policy.