Is there an ancient tree stump on Mars, or is it a rock?
That is the debate among some who have seen a photo taken from the mastcam of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity on March 25. The long object sticks up from the ground and stands out among other rounded stones on the red planet.
The photo was posted on NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory site, and a video about the object made by the YouTube user Paranormal Crucible and posted last week went viral with more than 124,000 views.
"Looks more like the remnants of a tree," the video stated, challenging the notion that the formation was a rock. The video goes on to compare the formation with other tree stumps found on Earth.
The website UFO Sightings Daily appeared to agree that the object looks more like a tree stump than a rock.
"It's a good assumption since NASA themselves said Mars was Earth-like when a solar explosion hit the planet," wrote Scott Waring on UFO Sighting Daily.
The Sun reported that other "wild claims" Waring has made about the planet include an archway proving the existence of an empire of midget Martians and images of a crashed alien spacecraft and a woman's body on Mars.
Many on social media were split on the formation.
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