Humans have been seeing strange things on the surface of Mars for centuries. Perhaps it's because, other than Earth, Mars is the closest thing in the solar system to a habitable planet, or perhaps it's simply because it's close enough to get a pretty good look at.
Either way, Earthlings have been fooled time and again by the Rocky Martian surface and their own psychology. From spooky, humanoid figures to books, bears, and beatles, here are some of the most iconic illusions humans have spotted on the Red Planet.
A Martian 'book'
Perhaps weary from hunting for evidence of ancient water, NASA's Curiosity rover took a short break in April 2023 to leaf through the pages of an old Martian hardback lying in the dust of Gediz Vallis. While the strange object may look like a book with a single page frozen mid-turn, it is in fact just a rock — and a small one at that. The charming little book-rock measures just 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) wide, according to NASA. At least it's travel-size!
A teddy bear's face
In an image shared January, 2023 by The University of Arizona (UA), what appears to be the face of an enormous Martian teddy bear — complete with two beady eyes, a button nose and an upturned mouth — grins at the camera of NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). According to UA, the cuddly-wuddly formation is likely just a broken-up hill in the center of an ancient crater.