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. Thanks for watching Elderfox. Remember to
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