A sliver of rock has sparked optimism that it is a peaceful human relaxing on Mars, but it is very definitely not.
But it's not a scientific breakthrough or a significant discovery; instead, it's a trick of the eye that's been used before to pique people's interest in the possibility of life on Mars.
NASA's Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image using its Left Mastcam-Z camera. Mastcam-Z is a pair of cameras located high on the rover's mast. This image was acquired on Jun. 15, 2021 (Sol 114) at the local mean solar time of 12:38:42.
NASA Perseverance Rover Allegedly Sends A Photo of 'Reclining Person' on Red Planet
The alleged sighting started on Scott C Waring's blog, UFO Sightings Daily. In a big photograph returned by the Mars rover last year, he claimed to have discovered a reclining figure. Some speculated that it was similar to Kate Winslet's stance in Titanic when Leonardo DiCaprio's Jack was drawing her.
"Everyone here knows I love to comb through NASA photos," wrote Scott C Waring in a post on his blog.
Waring discovered something special that proves intelligent life exists 100 percent of the time. According to the author, a human is lying down, viewing the NASA Mars rover safely.
But, like with many previous sightings of ET life forms-or "evidence" of them-on Mars, this may be explained by something far more basic - the phenomena known as pareidolia. To put it another way, Waring's sight is deceiving him.
Given that NASA's scientists are only using the Perseverance rover to search for "ancient life" on Mars, there is no way that a humanoid-like organism could exist there. It means they're just looking for microbe traces, not sophisticated, multi-celled creatures that mimic life on Earth, such as people.
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But, as with any scientific discovery, there's always the possibility that something is hidden from prying eyes.
NASA said this fourth planet in the Solar System is a sand-covered, frigid desert globe with a fragile atmosphere. Mars also has its own seasons and polar ice caps, canyons, dormant volcanoes, and other signs that it was once much more active, making it a fascinating planet.
Mars is also the most explored planet of those that have been discovered. It's also the only planet where we've sent rovers to investigate the alien surface. Curiosity and Perseverance are the rovers in question and one lander, InSight, and one helicopter, Ingenuity.
Pareidolia Explained
Pareidolia, or "seeing faces in strange places," is a phenomenon many people have heard of. It is the most plausible explanation for the "reclining human" shown in the photograph taken by the Perseverance rover.
According to LiveScience, pareidolia is a psychological phenomenon where people perceive (or even hear) a random picture or sound and interpret it as important. It's frequently cited as an explanation for extraterrestrial encounters and hearing allegedly unpleasant things when music is played backwards.
Because there aren't many extensive research on the subject, scientists can't agree on what produces pareidolia in the first place. However, famous cosmologist Carl Sagan believes that pareidolia began as a crucial survival trait for our forefathers. Detecting pictures in the distance or low vision circumstances helped them avoid predators and swiftly determine whether someone was a friend or a foe.
But whatever that "reclining" figure is, it's a long cry from the oddities spotted by NASA's Mars rovers over the years.
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