Old NASA images of Mars have resurfaced online, showing a shape that some viewers say looks like a jellyfish. The photos have prompted renewed speculation about what the object might be, according to Metro.co.uk.
The images, which were originally captured by NASA, appear to show a translucent, tentacled form on the Martian surface. Several outlets, including the Daily Star and The Sun, have picked up the story, with some suggesting the figure could be evidence of intelligent life. Others have pointed to the possibility of a camera artifact or a natural rock formation.
Metro.co.uk reports that the "jellyfish" appears in a series of frames taken by a rover. In one sequence, the object seems to stand on the surface before vanishing less than a minute later, as noted by IBTimes UK. This has led to theories ranging from an alien organism to a glitch in the imaging system.
The resurfaced photos have also drawn attention outside English-language media. A South Korean outlet, Sports Chosun, covered the image, raising the question of whether the object is extraterrestrial or simply an error in the photograph.
NASA has not issued a public statement about the specific image, and no official explanation has been provided. Historically, similar shapes spotted in Mars photos have been explained as pareidolia—the human tendency to see familiar patterns in random data—or as dust, shadows, or equipment quirks.
The "jellyfish" is the latest in a long line of Mars anomalies that have captured public imagination, from "faces" to "crab-like" forms. As more archived images are digitized and shared, it is likely that more such shapes will surface.
What to watch next: whether NASA or independent analysts offer a formal take on the object, or if the image fades as another case of Martian pareidolia.
