UFO enthusiasts claimed to have spotted alien graffiti on the surface of Mars through one of NASA’s satellite photos. They claimed that the letters “E” and “T” were etched on the Martian surface.

The image where the strange markings were spotted was taken by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, a satellite that has been taking photos of the Red Planet from space since 2006.

According to The Sun, those who saw the photo immediately noted that it featured two distinct letters written on the ground. They immediately connected the letters, which were “E” and “T” to the 1982 science fiction film “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” by Steven Spielberg.

“Try explaining that one,” one of the people who saw the photo reportedly told The Sun. “It’s totally remarkable. Now we’ve got graffiti on Mars. It’s stellar recognition for the hit 80s film.”

The alien graffiti on Mars is the latest claim made by UFO enthusiasts regarding NASA’s photos of the Red Planet. Previously, various enthusiasts said they saw houses, doorways and even statues made by the alien creatures that once inhabited the Red Planet.

Of course, these types of claims shouldn’t be taken seriously. After all, many of these sightings and discoveries can be easily explained. For example, in the case of the “E” and “T” markings, these shapes may have been caused by a number of things on Mars such as shadows, rocks and crevices.

Like the other sightings on Mars, the claims about the alien graffiti can be attributed to the psychological phenomenon known as apophenia.

This term was coined as part of a study on schizophrenia and refers to the human brain’s tendency to form connections between unrelated things. It also occurs when the brain makes erroneous perceptions of various things.

Apophenia usually occurs because of how the brain has been trained to recognize patterns through short and long term memory.

For instance, after seeing a rock on Mars that slightly resembles a face due to the various natural bumps on its surface, many UFO enthusiasts would immediately claim that it’s an alien mask or a fossilized skull of an extraterrestrial being.

Mars Surface
HiRISE commonly takes images of recent craters on Mars, which are usually found by the MRO Context Camera where they disturb surface dust. An impact site in this area was first imaged in December 2017. NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
RELATED STORIES
NASA Mars Space