A decade-old photograph captured by NASA’s Opportunity rover has recently sparked a viral internet mystery, with social media users claiming to have spotted an “alien gun” on the surface of the Red Planet. The frenzy gained momentum after self-proclaimed UFO enthusiast Scott C. Waring shared the 2014 image, alleging that the object is a piece of ancient alien technology and claiming that NASA has actively deleted other photos containing similar clues. The theories quickly spread across platforms, fueling speculative discussions about extraterrestrial life.

However, science communicators and online fact-checkers quickly debunked the claims, pointing out that the object is simply a uniquely shaped rock formation. NASA has consistently maintained that its exploration missions have found no evidence of current or past extraterrestrial life on Mars. The Opportunity rover, which originally snapped the photo while searching for historical geological evidence of water, concluded its highly successful mission in early 2019 after a massive Martian dust storm cut off communication.