Mysterious 'flying' object in NASA Mars photo sparks theory of extraterrestrial life on the Red Planet

NASA has long maintained that it has found no credible evidence of extraterrestrial life, but a newly resurfaced image from Mars has reignited wild speculation.

The photograph, captured by the Curiosity rover in 2024, shows a rocky hillside, distant peaks and a mysterious black object apparently suspended above the Martian horizon.

Curiosity has spent 14 years investigating whether Mars could once have supported microbial life. 

However, it was the unexplained shape in the sky that captured attention after X user Kari Sivertzen reposted the image Wednesday.

The post quickly sparked theories that the object could be evidence of alien activity on the Red Planet.

However, the single frame offers no proof that the shape was a flying craft or even a physical object.

It also could not have been NASA's Ingenuity helicopter, which was grounded approximately 2,300 miles away in Jezero Crater.

More mundane explanations include airborne dust, a camera artifact or a cosmic ray striking the rover's image sensor.

The image was taken by Curiosity in Gale Crater, on the lower slopes of Mount Sharp.

The rover was crossing rocky terrain near Gediz Vallis ridge, an ancient channel-like formation that scientists believe was shaped by water, landslides or both. 

Curiosity was driving southwest toward the ridge when the image was captured on April 10, 2024

One user suggested it could be an image artifact, 'aliens or us.' 

Another mysterious discovery was made in a separate Curiosity image this month, showing a strange object in the distance, which some suggested was a jellyfish-like being or mechanical device.

NASA's Curiosity rover snapped the image on August 20, 2023 at around 6.27pm ET.

It shows the dusty Martian landscape with rocky hills and large mountains.

However, the panorama also revealed a small figure in the left corner that appeared to have a large black body perched atop two spindly legs.

Fueling speculation that NASA’s rover had captured something moving across Mars, images taken of the same area less than a minute earlier showed no sign of the mysterious figure.

Moreover, the photo with the object was the last image posted on NASA's website for that day. The next picture from Curiosity was taken nearly two hours later with the camera pointed in a different direction.

In September 2025, NASA declared it had found the clearest signs of ancient microbial life on Mars in a sample collected by the Perseverance rover.

However, the space agency and White House have maintained that no signs of intelligent life have ever been found.

There were no other photos from August 20, 2023 posted by NASA that revealed if the object kept moving, approached the rover or if it was simply a glitch of the camera - which space officials refer to as an 'artifact.'

The 2023 image was reposted by Sivertzen on X, who said: 'Sometimes I spot things that catch my eye, and I share them here. 

'I believe there is life on other planets, and since NASA has found potential traces of life on Mars, it’s the perfect place to look.'

'One of the best Mars UFO photographs I've seen!' one person replied.

Independent Mars researcher Jean Ward said on X: 'Jellyfish-shaped UFO/UAP Spotted on Mars. This one seems to be interacting with the surface.

'It also reminds me of a tripod-like object.'

Some have compared the distant object to the giant alien walkers seen in the science fiction movie 'War of the Worlds.'

However, many skeptics argued that the small black figure standing in the distance was nothing more than corrupted pixels in Curiosity's photo.