In November 2015, there was something of a media flurry over the above photo, which appears to depict an enormous mouse crossing the Martian horizon. The photo was snapped by NASA's Curiosity rover who has been pootling around the Red Planet taking pictures and playing in the dirt all on its own for four years now. However, this is far from the strangest photo that has been taken on the surface of our rocky next-door neighbour. It's all thanks to a phenomenon called pareidolia, which is when our brains spot familiar shapes in objects like clouds, shadows and indeed Martian rocks. Its unlikely that theres a monster Martian mouse wandering around up there but if there is, it might not be alone. In this article youll see some of the weirdest photos that have been taken by NASAs rovers and satellites, which seem to depict a whole host of unlikely Martian inhabitants and artefacts. We might be only a few decades away from being able to send a manned mission to the Red Planet but it might be time to reconsider our plans. If these pictures are to be believed, it looks like there might already be no room at the inn.
Peter Austin initially joined WhatCulture as an occasional contributor to our Film, Gaming and Science sections, but made the mistake of telling us that he'd been making videos in his bedroom for over a decade. Since then he's been a vital member of our YouTube team and routinely sets the standard for smart-casual wear in the office.
