Gallery of Curiosity Rover's 'UFO' Photos

Horizon anomaly

Impact cloud from the sky crane, photographed by Curiosity. — (Image credit: NASA/JPL)

When the Curiosity rover beamed back its first batch of photos, a hazy, distant object mysteriously appeared and then disappeared in consecutive images of the Martian horizon. Cries of alien activity echoed across the Internet and even NASA scientists were perplexed at first. They eventually decided the hazy object was the plume of dust kicked up by the sky crane that delivered the rover close to the Martian surface, then veered off and struck the ground some 2,000 feet (600 meters) away.

'Possible ancient finger'

A piece of gravel in the Martian regolith that YouTube user StephenHannardADGUK says might be an ancient human finger, replete with fingernail.

'Possible ancient finger' closeup

Closeup of a piece of gravel in the Martian regolith that YouTube user StephenHannardADGUK says might be an ancient human finger, replete with fingernail.

'Shoe or sandal'

A sandal or a rock? — (Image credit: YouTube | StephenHannardADGUK)

A rock on Mars that one YouTube user pointed out looks like a carelessly overturned sandal.

'Martian animal'

"Mars animal" spotted by one YouTube user. — (Image credit: YouTube | StephenHannardADGUK)

A boulder photographed by the Curiosity rover that YouTube user StephenHannardADGUK says might be a Martian animal.

'Martian animal' closeup

Closeup of a boulder photographed by the Curiosity rover that YouTube user StephenHannardADGUK says might be a Martian animal.

Distant UFOs or Photoshopped?

White dots in photos taken by the Curiosity rover. — (Image credit: YouTube | ParanormalCollection)

YouTube user ParanormalCollection posted footage Aug. 7 described as having been "leaked by NASA." It shows white dots flying around near the Martian horizon. However, the dots don't appear in the original photos released two days earlier, suggesting the white dots have been added in.

Pixel UFOs

Dead pixels in Curiosity's CCD camera, or UFOs hovering in the Martian sky? — (Image credit: YouTube | StephenHannardADGUK)

Are these UFOs hovering in the Martian sky, or dead pixels in Curiosity's CCD camera? Speculation abounds.

Pixel UFOs

The more Photoshop filters YouTube user StephenHannardADGUK applied to these dead camera pixels, the more they resembled actual, 3D objects in the sky.

Pixel UFOs

The more Photoshop filters YouTube user StephenHannardADGUK applied to these dead camera pixels, the more they resembled actual, 3D objects in the sky.

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