From Martian crabs to strange lights. From
Bigfoot sightings to complex patterns, in this video we re going to
bring you the very best of Martian anomalies. This is our biggest
and most anticipated video ever, so let s get right into it.
This video does not attempt to either debunk or lend credence to any specific
theories, we are simply presenting the facts.
This image, captured in 2019 by the Curiosity
rover, shows a bright light on the Martian horizon. This picture fuelled theories of
alien craft flying in the skies of Mars.
Other images taken immediately before and after do
not contain this light, therefore whatever caused this anomaly must have been incredibly fast.
It s not the first time we ve seen something of this nature. In 2014 the Curiosity rover captured
this image of another striking light anomaly. This one really got the internet into a stir,
with theories ranging from an alien hut to an attempt at first contact. However, lights like
this are seen on a regular basis by the NASA team, and do have a more plausible explanation.
Justin Maki, NASA team leader for Curiosity s Nav-cam said, quote:
In the thousands of images we ve received from Curiosity, we see ones with bright
spots nearly every week. These can be caused by cosmic-ray hits or sunlight glinting from rock
surfaces, as the most likely explanations.
One of the most famous Martian anomalies is
the face on Mars. Captured in 1976 by NASA s Viking-1 orbiter, it provided decades
of suspense and wild theories before more detailed images could be taken to put the
matter to bed in 2001. In this image, you can see it is simply a feature of the landscape,
with almost no resemblance to a face.
So why do we clearly see a face in the 1976 image?
This is down to a phenomenon called pareidolia, where humans are biologically programmed to look
for patterns in random data. It s the reason we see faces in clouds and was a useful thing
for our ancestors to survive in the wild.
There are many other examples of anomalies on Mars
that are suspected to be a result of pareidolia, such as this so-called human thigh bone .
In 2017, Curiosity snapped this picture, which some have pointed out contains
what looks like a cannonball. Again, pareidolia is likely at play.
This so-called cannonball is only a quarter inch, or 5 millimetres in size. It is
actually a pebble made from haematite, a substance commonly found on Mars as
seen in this older image from Opportunity. What is interesting however, is that
the presence of haematite signals an abundance of water in the ancient past.
This 2007 panorama taken by the Spirit rover was released with little to
no attention from the public. That is until a UFO website ran a story about how
a Bigfoot could be seen in the lower left corner. Can you spot it? Let s take a closer look.
This strange feature has been described as a Bigfoot or a female statue. However,
given the amount of rocks on Mars, there are plenty of opportunities for
pareidolia to work it s magic.
In 2015, the Curiosity rover took this image
near Mount Sharp, the Martian mountain it still currently climbs to this day.
In the image a strange rock formation can be seen protruding from the ground, shaped into
what looks like a spoon. What s interesting about this one in particular is that on Mars, due
to a lower gravity and less dense atmosphere, rock formations can be created that we
would likely never see on Earth.
This formation was probably created
over millions of years by the wind, and just happens to resemble a spoon.
In 2019, Professor William Romoser of Ohio University claimed that life has existed
and continues to exist on Mars today.
By examining images from the NASA rovers,
the Entomology Professor said he has seen traits resembling insects on Earth as
seen in these rather grainy images.
Unfortunately, this is most likely yet another
example of Pareidolia. An Entomology Professor is more likely to see insects than anyone else,
just as Bigfoot believers are more likely to spot a Bigfoot. Almost no conclusions can be
drawn from these images. We have an abundance of clear images from the rovers and haven t
seen any detailed images of insects yet.
Now moving away from the
pareidolia-explained images we can get to the really interesting stuff.
These strange swirling patterns have been seen in the Athabasca Valles area of Mars,
which is thought to have been created by catastrophic flooding in the past. More than
200 of these anomalies have been found, with more expected to be found in other regions.
If you re thinking that these patterns could be fossilised remains of alien life, then
think again, as these swirls are around 100 feet in diameter, or over 30 metres.
Unfortunately, these patterns are not a sign of any alien life, they are simply a phenomenon
known as lava coils. They can be found on Earth, on Hawaii s Big Island. The only difference
is the size. On Earth these are only around 1 foot in diameter, much smaller
than their Martian equivalents.
In 2017, a NASA orbiter captured this image of
the southern polar region of Mars. The area has since been nicknamed Swiss Cheese Territory and it
has left scientists baffled due to the large pit on the right. The leading ideas are that it
could have been caused by a rogue space rock or a collapse has happened at the surface.
Both of these commonly occur on Mars.
However, other people have different ideas; from a star wars monster to a
secret underground base.
One of the most interesting anomalies
on Mars is the mystery of methane. The Curiosity rover discovered that methane
detections follow a seasonal pattern, spiking in the late Martian summer.
As soon as this methane is seemingly produced, it is then consumed by a
currently unknown process.
There are 2 possible explanations here; one
is biological and the other is geological.
These variations could be explained by colonies
of methane producing and methane consuming micro-organisms living below the surface of Mars.
Below the surface could host the right pressures and temperatures to sustain such life.
The other explanations are geological in nature, ranging from methane trapped under the
surface which is released periodically, to asteroids and volcanoes.
None of these theories have been proven, and it will be a long wait until we can get more
definitive answers. The Perseverance rover doesn t have a methane detector on board, but it does have
the capability to take samples of the surface. These samples can be returned to Earth
in the future and studied up close.
This image from Curiosity in 2015 shows what
at first appears to be a pyramid structure.
However, when we zoom out
and correct the rotation, you can see the wider context of the image.
If an alien race wanted to build a pyramid, it s probably not a good idea build it on a hill, and
they could aim to make it a little bigger.
On December 26th, 2013, the Opportunity rover
took this image before going on a short drive.
On January 8th 2014, just twelve Martian days
later, the Opportunity rover returned to the site, only to find that a rock had appeared. The
rock left scientists baffled. With it s bright appearance and seemingly autonomous capabilities,
it was of great intrigue to the team at NASA.
The most probable explanation
is that the rock was dislodged during Opportunity s short drive. The brighter
and darker parts of the rock would seem to support this theory, with the brighter part having
been freshly exposed to the environment.
This image, taken by the Mars Express Orbiter,
shows a giant elongated cloud. This cloud has been spotted many times before and only
seems to appear in the Martian spring.
Unfortunately, it s not some primitive alien
smoke signal. Many people believed it was the result of a huge eruption on Mars, but we now
know it is simply a result of the way the wind sweeps the landscape of that area, forcing the
air upwards to create this elongated cloud.
In this image is probably the most infamous
Martian anomaly. Can you spot it?
This is the case of the Martian crab.
Now, you ve probably seen this image circulating on social media. The apparent
close-up appears to show a very well defined and undeniable crab shape. However,
this is the result of Photoshop.
When we take the original NASA image and
zoom in, the detail is not nearly as clear, and no real conclusions can be
made as to what the object is.
It could also be a JPEG artefact from the
compression of the image. Because we only receive small amounts of data back from Mars at any one
time, the rovers are programmed to compress any images before transmitting them back to Earth.
When an image is compressed, it is divided up into separate 8-by-8 pixel squares, all compressed
separately, giving the distinctive grid-like pattern. If we blow the image up into these
squares, this is what we actually received.
As previously mentioned, pareidolia could be at
work here, or we could actually be looking at the first image of alien life. Either way, we simply
cannot tell from the quality of this image.
If NASA had found real proof of alien life on
Mars, they would be the first to shout it out. Not everything can be dismissed as pareidolia, but
with the amount of images collected by the rovers, and the amount of rocks on Mars, it is
only a matter of time before someone claims they have seen the Elderfox
logo. If you spot it, let us know!
Here s some we found while making
the video, just for fun!
While the NASA rovers are anomaly detecting
machines, they are also great explorers and each has a story to tell. The spirit rover
survived for over 6 years and ultimately became trapped in a sand dune, sending one last message
to NASA before going offline forever.
Click here to see what else
the Spirit rover found on Mars, and to see the incredible journey in full.
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to date with the latest discoveries.
Haha less than one minute in 'this bright light is a an alien craft'
Do people really believe this crap?