Wait, is that a doorway carved into a rock on Mars?
A viral image has left both the scientific community and the world baffled, as a new image released by NASA captured by the Curiosity rover last week shows what appears to be a doorway on the Red Planet.
Conspiracy theories have taken over the internet, as many have pointed to the doorway as evidence of alien life.
“This is a very curious image,” British geologist Neil Hodgson, who has studied the geology of Mars, told Live Science.
“It’s a shelter. Remember, Mars was habitable way before first forms of life appeared on Earth,” wrote one user on YouTube.
Scientists dismiss Mars conspiracy theories
Ultimately though, it seems to be the result of a naturally occurring geological phenomena.
“The crack is a fracture and they are abundant on Mars and Earth – no need for marsquakes to produce them,” said Professor Gupta, who has worked on the Curiosity mission with NASA to The Daily Telegraph.
“There is nothing at all strange in the image – these are just normal geological processes.”
Hodgson came to the same conclusion.
“Ultimately, it looks like natural erosion to me,” Hodgson added.
It could also be a trick of perspective, with the door looking large because it is zoomed in from the rover’s image, which would also be coming from a low angle.
“The team’s scientists underlined just how small it is”, wrote Snopes saying the door was around 30 centimetres by 45 centimetres.
If we are to get an answer to David Bowie’s question of whether there’s life on Mars, it could still be forthcoming, as the Curiosity rover will continue to explore the red planet and send back images, as it is due to spend two years on its surface.
Stay tuned…