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Mars Curiosity Rover Photo Sparks Alien Jellyfish Debate, Expert Says Cosmic Ray

other · 2026-08-28

On August 20, 2023, NASA's Curiosity Rover captured an intriguing image on Mars, which sparked wild speculation about extraterrestrial life due to a jellyfish-like shape appearing on the horizon. The photo, taken with the rover’s Right Navigation Camera, shows a round structure with what resembles tentacles. Notably, a preceding image from just 13 seconds earlier does not feature this anomaly. Astrophysicist Dr. Joseph Farah suggested it might be caused by a cosmic ray impacting the camera's sensor, while EarthSky proposed it could result from a glitch in pixel data. Previous images from the rover included rock formations resembling dragon scales.

Key facts

  • Photo taken by Mars Curiosity Rover on August 20, 2023, using Right Navigation Camera.
  • Image shows a figure on the horizon resembling a jellyfish, sparking alien theories.
  • A photo taken 13 seconds earlier does not show the anomaly.
  • Dr. Joseph Farah, an astrophysicist, suggests a cosmic ray struck the camera sensor.
  • EarthSky proposes an electronic or transmission glitch as an alternative explanation.
  • The image is from NASA's website and is original.
  • Curiosity also captured images of dragon-scale-like rocks and a sea of polygons earlier in 2023.
  • The image credit is courtesy of NASA.

Entities

Institutions

  • NASA
  • Daily Mail
  • EarthSky

Locations

  • Mars

Sources