NASA has stated that it has found no credible evidence of extraterrestrial life, but a series of images captured by the Curiosity rover on Mars have recently fueled speculation online. The rover has been exploring Mars for 14 years to determine if microbial life could have once existed there.
One image, captured on April 10, 2024, shows a rocky Martian landscape with distant peaks and a dark object appearing to hover above the horizon. This photograph, taken in Gale Crater on the lower slopes of Mount Sharp as Curiosity traversed rocky terrain near the Gediz Vallis ridge, has led some to theorize about alien activity. However, the image alone does not confirm the object as a craft or even a physical entity. Possible explanations include atmospheric dust, a camera artifact, or a cosmic ray impacting the rover's sensor. This object could not have been NASA's Ingenuity helicopter, which was located approximately 2,300 miles away.
Another image, taken on August 20, 2023, has also drawn attention. This photograph, captured by Curiosity around 6:27 p.m. ET, shows a small, dark, figure-like object in the left corner of the frame, appearing to stand on two spindly legs against a backdrop of dusty Martian terrain and rocky hills. Images of the same area taken less than a minute before and after this photo do not show the object, and the subsequent image from Curiosity, taken nearly two hours later, was oriented in a different direction. This has led to theories that the object was moving across Mars.
These images have circulated on social media platforms, with users suggesting the objects could be evidence of alien life, UFOs, or even extraterrestrial technology. Some comparisons have been made to fictional alien walkers from "War of the Worlds." However, many observers point to these phenomena as potential image artifacts, such as corrupted pixels or dust.
NASA has previously announced significant findings related to potential ancient life on Mars. In September 2025, the agency declared it had found the clearest signs of ancient microbial life in a sample collected by the Perseverance rover. Despite these discoveries, NASA and the White House have consistently maintained that no evidence of intelligent life has ever been found on the planet.