This picture on today's front page demanded a second look.The more I saw it, the more it seemed like an outstretched hands of a figure perched on top of a rock.The only difference was that this photo was taken on Mars.What seems to be a fantastic optical illusion caused by a Martian landscape, it has, unsurprisingly, set the Internet abuzz with claims that there really is life on the red planet.
The image was among many sent back to Earth by Spirit, Nasa's Mars explorer vehicle which landed there four years ago.Initial inspections revealed nothing unusual, but closer examination by amateur astronomers has thrown up this intriguing picture.
Space enthusiasts spent four years analysing this image, which on much closer inspection shows the 'alien'.
Cornell astronomer Jim Bell, who heads the scientific team behind the Mars rovers' panoramic cameras, though said,"It's a funky little bizarre wind-carved rock formation," . "It's not unusual at all."
The mystery figure is already being billed as the 'Martian mermaid' due to the striking similarities between the figure and a sculpture in Copenhagen known as the Little Mermaid.
Say cheese: The mystery image was captured by Nasa's explorer vehicle, Spirit
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