Man on Mars Photo Finds Interesting Creature/Statue

The title seems a bit like something out of a movie or science fiction novel, but a photo circulating around has brought life on the Red Planet to the forefront of the public's attention. In this photo from Mars, a small creature, or possibly a rock-like obtrusion, appears to be standing or maybe even walking on a rocky dune. The picture shows remarkable clarity for the overall distance that the photo was taken from, yet absolute evidence still remains to be found.

To see the actual NASA photograph go here

To see an enhanced picture go here

In the photo taken by the Spirit Rover Camera on Sol 1367, the object appears to have a well-defined head, torso, and arm, along with the necessary anatomical structures that would allow for actions such as bending, sitting, or walking. However, the bottom of the object appears to blend into the rock underneath in a way that is just a little too well for the object to be human. While the object has almost an entire "body", it is strangely fused around the knee area with the rock below it. This anomaly in the object's body leads to the assumption that maybe it is a statue or some sort of figurine.

Instances of life on Mars are certainly not anything that is just arising because of this specific case. Another supposed extraterrestrial spotting comes from a photo taken by the Sol 513 Rover which can be seen at this ink, Report #102. In this photo, a supposed humanoid skull can be seen lying amongst a field of rocks. While this photo definitely has a strong resemblance to the shape and definition of a human skull, it also seems to morph together with the rocks directly around it. The similarities between the creature-like object and this supposed skull both appear to look like various parts of a human, yet they both are strangely fused with the environment around them.

The search for alien life not only gains momentum from pictures that depict creatures or the remains of creatures, but pictures of objects that were created by the supposed extraterrestrial life forms also aid the cause of alien-searchers. In a photo taken by another Spirit Rover (picture found here, Report #64), a bright and shiny object can be seen resting on the side of the Bonneville crater on Mars. According to some, the picture shows a metallic and highly reflective object that was in the possession of aliens at some point. However, I am not fully convinced, as the picture appears to be just a hole in the side of the crater with the bright spot being the light from the other side. It is kind of like the old optical illusion of the Rubin's Vase where both a vase and the profile of two people can be seen from the same picture (See Rubin's Vase if you are unsure). The same kind of principle can be applied to an additional photo that was taken by the Opportunity Rover. This photo, Report #65, shows a strange object lying on the ground in the middle of an empty area. While the actual identity of the object cannot be determined, it still appears to be foreign given its surroundings. However, the explanation could lie with the Rubin's Vase idea that the shading or fuzziness of the photo leads viewers to see something that is not actually there.

While the presence of otherworldly life has neither been confirmed nor denied by these pictures, the whole issue is certainly gaining more publicity and acknowledgment. Some people are absolutely convinced that these photos point to life on Mars, and yet many other people remain unimpressed. Call me a skeptic but this latest vague photo has not convinced me of alien life, yet I am convinced that similarly ambiguous photos will arise as time goes on. Or maybe an alien will even send us a headshot to clear up the issue once and for all. One can only dream.