9 features on Mars mistaken for signs of alien life
By Bryan Nelson, Mother Nature Network, 19 November 2014.
By Bryan Nelson, Mother Nature Network, 19 November 2014.
Long a subject of speculation, our neighbour has yet to yield evidence of life. But that hasn't kept people from imaging it's there.
Martian chronicles
Mars is the planet in our solar system most like Earth, so it's no wonder people have long gazed at its faint red light in the sky and imagined Martians looking back. But since technology has made it possible to view Mars up close, life there - if it exists - has been elusive.
Though the red planet may have been fertile at one time, today it is a harsh, windswept sphere with an unbreathable atmosphere. Mars contains no civilizations, no forests or oceans, no multicellular organisms with complex nervous systems. Even so, that doesn't keep people from dreaming - and from seeing things.
In that spirit, here's our list of mysterious features on Mars that have been mistaken for signs of alien life.
Suggested Stories: (1) 8 mysterious images of Mars; (2) NASA's next Mars rover to collect samples, carry lasers.
1. Face on Mars
Perhaps the most iconic mistaken sign of life ever touted on Mars is the notorious and controversial "Face on Mars." Originally spied by the Viking 1 orbiter back in 1976, this feature looked eerily like a carved human face. Almost immediately, wild theories were proposed to explain the bizarre anomaly. Was there a humanoid civilization that once lived on Mars and carved it? Is it a message from more distant alien visitors?
It took more than 20 years of speculation before more advanced orbiters, such as NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter got a second look. Higher resolution images proved that the "face" was an optical illusion caused by shadows and light on a natural hill.
Suggested Stories: (1) NASA's new spacesuits are made for Mars explorers; (2) 7 memorable UFO-inspired images from NASA and beyond.
2. Irrigation canals
For a significant amount of time in the 19th and early 20th century, it was widely speculated that Mars was crisscrossed with an elaborate system of canals, which some theorists proposed were built by a Martian civilization for the purpose of irrigation. One proponent of this view was Percival Lowell, who even mapped out some of these canal systems from the Lowell Observatory, which he founded in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Once astronomers got their hands on more powerful equipment, however, the canals began to fade from view, and are today considered optical illusions at low resolution.
3. Banyan trees
Images taken by the Mars Global Surveyor that look freakishly like banyan trees on Mars fooled even famed science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke, who remarked that these images are "so striking that there is no need to say anything about it - it's obviously vegetation to any unbiased eye." The formations even appeared to change seasonally, suggesting that they grew and wilted with the seasons, just like vegetation on Earth.
Few serious scientists agreed, however, and a later study presented a number of competing, more likely theories. For instance, dark basaltic sand pushed to the surface of sand dunes by sun-heated solid carbon dioxide, or dry ice, sublimating directly into vapour creates the illusion of a tree. This occurs seasonally, as the sun heats the Martian surface during that planet's springtime.
4. Mars rat
After NASA's Curiosity rover snapped a photo of this Martian landscape, UFO enthusiasts quickly overreacted to what appeared to be a rodent crawling among the rocks. This so-called Martian "rat" was steadfastly dismissed by NASA scientists - despite the outcry of believers. The rover never took a second glance. It was just a rock, insisted scientists.
5. Artificial light
This very suspect beam of light, captured by NASA's Curiosity rover, appeared to be an artificial light source on the Martian surface. Is it an alien drone? An extraterrestrial bonfire? A Jedi light sabre? None of the above, according to NASA. Even though the light was captured in two separate photos, scientists say it is either caused by cosmic rays colliding with the camera or rocks reflecting the Martian sunlight.
Suggested Stories: (1) NASA say weird 'light' on Mars likely just a shiny rock; (2) MNN quiz: What do you know about Mars?
6. Mars iguana
Another Martian rock that just happens to be shaped like a familiar Earth creature, this feature has been dubbed the "Mars iguana" by believers. Though the picture went viral, the controversy seems mostly reserved to extremists who want to believe. NASA scientists confidently assert that it is just a rock.
Suggested Stories: (1) SpaceX making 'progress' toward Mars colony, says Elon Musk; (2) NASA may put greenhouse on Mars in 2021.
7. Mystery rock
This mystery rock, shaped like a jelly doughnut, suddenly appeared in front of the Curiosity rover at a spot where it did not exist previously, as evidenced by these before and after photos.
“It was a total surprise. We were like, ‘Wait a second, that wasn’t there before. It can’t be right. Oh, my god! It wasn’t there before!’ We were absolutely startled,” researcher Steve Squyres told Discovery News.
What moved it? Could a life form have thrown the rock at the rover? Did an alien police officer drop its favourite pastry while ticketing the rover for breaking the Martian speed limit? No, say researchers. The rock was likely kicked up by Curiosity's own wheels.
Suggested Stories: (1) NASA's Mars rover Opportunity breaks off-world driving record; (2) 10 amazing images of Jupiter.
8. Monolith
This boulder spied on the Martian surface looks like it was finely cut by an intelligent sculptor. It also looks eerily like the alien monoliths depicted in the classic sci-fi film "2001: A Space Odyssey." Barring the unlikely scenario that the movie's author, Arthur C. Clarke, wrote the movie based upon alien inspiration, however, the similarity of this object to the object in the film is probably not significant.
Even so, the object's striking appearance demands an explanation. According to scientists, the sculptor is likely erosion. In this case, the rock just happened to have been eroded into a very rectangular shape.
Suggested Stories: (1) Mars One wants to send experiments to the red planet; (2) 18 space movies that everyone should see.
9. Shiny metal
This odd, shiny object seems to jut suspiciously out of a rock viewed by the Curiosity rover. It looks unnatural, perhaps like a door knob or hood ornament. (Perhaps on the hood of an alien space cruiser?) Though it looks like the result of intelligent metal work, NASA scientists say it is - predictably - simply a hard, shiny rock the wind has sculpted into an interesting shape.
Suggested Stories: (1) Meteorite slamming into Mars gave Earth most of its Martian meteorites; (2) How well do you know your planets?
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please adhere to proper blog etiquette when posting your comments. This blog owner will exercise his absolution discretion in allowing or rejecting any comments that are deemed seditious, defamatory, libelous, racist, vulgar, insulting, and other remarks that exhibit similar characteristics. If you insist on using anonymous comments, please write your name or other IDs at the end of your message.