UFO enthusiasts were the first to notice the odd feature, with some believing the object to be the wreckage of an alien ship.
"The black object looks like a crashed UFO," UFO expert Scott C. Waring told RT.
PICTURED: 'Crashed space craft resembling Star Wars destroyer found on Mars' — http://t.co/4dSnlAksrC pic.twitter.com/xIaKGAjsxN
— INTERCOT (@INTERCOT) August 25, 2015
But unlike the Star Destroyers, which were enormous, the object in NASA’s photo seems to be pretty tiny.
"The craft is only about 2.5-3 meters across, so it probably only held a few passengers," Waring suggested.
“The rover usually takes many of each area, but not this one. Perhaps tomorrow it will take more," Waring said.
Conspiracy theorists are often quick to interpret images captured by Curiosity’s cameras as being paranormal. UFO Sightings Daily reported on an earlier NASA photo which it claimed depicted a female ghost.
"The woman seems to have breasts,” the site reads, “…two arms that are lighter in color and what looks like a head with long hair.”
The phenomenon is known as pareidolia, wherein the human mind misinterprets images, finding familiar patterns where none exist. Like most mysterious objects seen on Mars, the object is most likely a rock.
Or, possibly a Star Destroyer replica placed by Disney to promote “The Force Awakens,” opening this December.
