Mysterious jellyfish-like object appears on Mars

A strange photo taken on Mars several years ago has sparked heated discussions among internet users. The cause is a mysterious object resembling a jellyfish captured by the Curiosity rover's camera.

Naked Science reported on this.

It turns out the strange image was captured on August 20, 2023, by the Curiosity rover's right navigation camera. The frame shows an unknown figure that appears to be hovering above the Martian surface. It resembles a dome-shaped head with tentacle-like parts.

Notably, in the frame taken just 13 seconds before this photo, such a “jellyfish” was not visible at all. This fact has led to various speculations on the internet. Some have suggested that there could be a giant invertebrate on the Martian surface capable of moving at incredible speeds.

However, experts emphasize that one should not rush to such conclusions.

What is the strange object really?

The hypothesis of a giant alien “jellyfish” cannot be completely ruled out. But scientists say the unusual shape in the image could also be explained by a technical glitch in the camera.

According to astrophysicist Dr. Joseph Farah, the strange object may have been caused by a cosmic ray hitting the camera sensor .

The expert noted that when the image is zoomed in, it is clear that the black pixels are perfectly aligned in a line. This could explain the unusual appearance of the object in the image.

Moreover, this is consistent with the absence of the object in the frame taken before this one. In other words, a temporary anomaly in the camera is more likely than a “jellyfish” that appeared and disappeared in just 13 seconds.

Another theory suggests that the strange image could be the result of an electronic malfunction or an error during data transmission. EarthSky has also put forward this possibility.

Expertsexplain that pixel values can change at several stages of the process, from the camera sensor to the final image file generated on Earth. It is possible that such a change occurs in the readout electronics, data storage on the onboard computer, image compression, transmission to Earth, or during subsequent processing.

Therefore, the strange object captured by the Curiosity camera is likely not a sign of life on Mars, but rather a technical anomaly in the camera or data processing.