[Sportschosun] Reporter Jang Jong-ho — A rather outlandish claim that an "alien gun" was spotted in a photo taken on Mars 12 years ago has drawn attention.
Experts dismissed the claim, saying it was most likely a kind of optical illusion.
The photo at the center of the controversy was taken in 2014 on the surface of Mars by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) rover Opportunity.
According to foreign media outlets including the Daily Mail, some social media users recently argued that a long, narrow rock in the image looks like a pistol and could be evidence of an alien civilization.
Scott C. Waring, who runs a UFO-related website, claimed on social media that it was "a photo of an alien gun found on Mars" and added that "NASA deleted the other photos, and only one remains now."
In a previous blog post, Waring said the object was about 30 centimeters long and wrote, "It is astonishing beyond belief."
However, no objective evidence has been presented to support the claim.
NASA's Mars rover Opportunity landed on Meridiani Planum in 2004 and explored Mars for about 15 years. It was originally designed for a 90-day mission, but it far exceeded expectations and remained active for years. Communication was lost in 2018 after a massive dust storm blanketed Mars and cut off solar power. After months of recovery attempts, NASA officially declared the mission over in 2019.
Experts explained that seeing the object as a gun is a psychological phenomenon known as "Pareidolia."
It refers to the human tendency to recognize familiar images such as faces, animals, or objects in random shapes like clouds, rocks, or stains.
NASA has also maintained that no evidence has been found to prove the existence of alien life on Mars, and that no traces of current or past life have been confirmed.
Skeptical reactions also continued online. Netizens posted comments such as, "It just looks like a rock," "Why would an alien gun be shaped to fit a human hand?" and "It's ridiculous that only the gun is sitting there by itself."
Reporter Jang Jong-ho bellho@sportschosun.com
