A new image from Mars is making the rounds online, and depending on who you ask, it either shows a small rodent perched on a ridge or another example of the internet seeing what it wants to see.
The image, captured by NASA’s Curiosity rover at the "Rocknest" site, quickly gained traction after being shared across social media. One widely circulated post came from Conservative Political commentator Bethany O'Leary. The MAGA influencer posted the video with a caption that read, "LMFAO NASA posted a picture of 'Mars 'online, and the literal rat appears on the picture. Yeah OK NASA," and pointed to a shadowy, animal-like shape embedded in the rocky terrain, suggesting it resembled a rat.
The claim drew thousands of reactions, along with a mix of jokes, skepticism and familiar accusations that NASA might not be telling the full story.
This isn’t the first time a Martian rock has sparked that kind of reaction.
NASA Says It’s a Familiar Phenomenon
In a statement to Military.com, Alana Johnson, a senior communications specialist with NASA’s Planetary Science Division, said the explanation is far less mysterious.
We’ve seen many, many Martian rocks that exhibit shapes that, from a particular angle, look like a more familiar shape… Mars’ wind has often carved odd shapes into the surface through a combination of physical and chemical weathering processes.
Johnson added that past images have triggered similar reactions, with observers pointing to formations that resemble spider webs, coral, flowers and even books.
The phenomenon is known as pareidolia, a tendency for the human brain to interpret vague or random images as something recognizable. It’s the same reason people see faces in clouds or figures in shadows.
This Isn’t the First ‘Animal’ on Mars
The internet didn’t just find a “rat” on Mars this week. It found the latest version of a story it has been telling for years.
In 2017, National Geographic Kids highlighted a similar claim involving a “mouse” spotted in images from NASA’s Curiosity rover in Gale Crater. The object, shared by an amateur astronomer, appeared to show a small creature sitting on a ridge. Even then, the explanation was simple. The shape was almost certainly a rock.
The tone of the coverage was more playful, but the idea wasn’t new. Grainy images often create familiar shapes in the mind. Like spotting figures in clouds, Mars is full of formations that can look like something else at a glance, even as speculation quickly follows.
A Pattern Across Decades of Space Imagery
Mars has a long history of producing images that seem to reveal something beyond geology.
One of the most well-known examples is the “Face on Mars,” an image captured in 1976 that appeared to show a human-like face carved into the planet’s surface. Later, higher-resolution images revealed that it was a natural landform.
Similar interpretations have appeared again and again. Some see animals. Others see structures. The details change, but the pattern remains.
The “rat on Mars” is just the latest entry in a long catalog of familiar shapes carved out of an unfamiliar world.
Why It’s Happening Now
The timing of the viral image comes as NASA’s Artemis II mission draws renewed attention to human spaceflight.
With astronauts once again in deep space and public interest rising, images from NASA missions are receiving more scrutiny and spreading faster online. That visibility can amplify even the smallest details, especially when they appear unusual at first glance.
Most of these moments pass quickly as the explanations are simple. As the images are reexamined, the claims fade.
But they tend to come back. And if history is any indication, the next “discovery” is already out there—waiting in the shadows of another Martian rock. However, as NASA's senior communications specialist with the Planetary Science Division, Alana Johnson, reminded us here at Military.com, "Any official NASA news or imagery will be shared via an official agency communications channel."
