Alien hunters spot a 'COFFIN' on Mars - and they want Nasa to take a closer look ... - Daily Mail

'Coffin' was found by Will Farrar on an image taken by Curiosity rover
Mr Farrar claims the structure may be left over from an old civilisation
UFO hunters claim it is 3.2 ft (1 metre) across and 1.5ft (0.4 metres) wide
Conspiracy theorists suggest it is big enough to contain 'alien grays'
But scientists said seeing such objects could be a case of pareidolia
It is a psychological response to seeing familiar objects in random places

Published: 06:43 EST, 29 December 2014 | Updated: 10:17 EST, 29 December 2014

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From fossilised iguanas to Obama's head, conspiracy theorists appear to have found all manner of things on Mars.

And now an alien coffin can be added to the list, after one Maryland-based UFO hunter spotted what he believes to be a 'decorative' box on the red planet.

The 'coffin' was discovered by Will Farrar from WhatsUpintheSky37 as he trawled through a library of pictures sent back by the Mars rover Curiosity.

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The so-called 'coffin' was found by Will Farrar from WhatsUpintheSky37 as he trawled through a library of pictures sent back by the Mars rover Curiosity. The image pictured inset has been edited

'This little box sure does look like a modern coffin concrete liner,' he wrote on his YouTube channel.

'As well as the stonework on the back part of the hill that looks like stairs or some left over stonework from some old civilisations constructions.'

Alien researcher Scott Waring of the UFO Sightings Daily said he believes the coffin was made from a stone-like substance.

'What would it take to get Nasa to turn the rover around and examine the contents of this box?,' he said.

Can you spot the coffin? Alien researcher Scott Waring of the UFO Sightings Daily said he believes the coffin was made from a stone-like substance

'What would it take to get Nasa to turn the rover around and examine the contents of this box?,' said Mr Waring. But while it has captured the imagination of UFO bloggers, scientists believe sightings such as this are down to a phenomenon called pareidolia - a psychological response to seeing items in random places

IS THIS A CASE OF PAREIDOLIA?

Many scientists believe that seeing strange objects, such as a 'coffin' on Mars, is simple a case of pareidolia.

This is a psychological response to seeing faces and other significant and everyday items in random places.

It is a form of apophenia, which is when people see patterns or connections in unconnected data.

There have been multiple occasions when people have claimed to see religious images and themes in unexpected places, especially the faces of religious figures.

Many involve images of Jesus, the Virgin Mary and the word Allah.

For example, in September 2007 a callus on a tree resembled a monkey, leading believers in Singapore to pay homage to the Monkey god.

Another famous instance was when Mary's face was a grilled cheese sandwich.

Images of Jesus have even been spotted inside the lid of a jar of Marmite and in a potato.

'It looks to be about 3.2 ft (one metre) across and 1.5ft (0.4 metres) wide and high.

'Lots of alien species are short, including a species of grays.'

UFO researchers use the term 'grays' to describe alien visitor with an oval shaped head and large eyes – similar to the depiction shown in the film 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'.

But while its strong lines have captured the imagination of UFO bloggers, scientists believe sightings such as this are down to a psychological phenomenon called Pareidolia.

This describes the brain's response to seeing faces and other significant objects in random places.

It has evolved so that human eyes can spot faces within their environment, and to help them recognise friends in a crowd.

Scientists claim we also tend to use this ability to 'enrich our imagination' and recognise meaningful shapes, even when they're not there.

However, Mr Farrar isn't convinced. 'We're not being told a whole bunch of stuff, so I don't know what the truth is here,' he said.

'In reality UFO enthusiasts just spend far too much time searching Nasa images for the slightest glimpse of anything weird and finding proof that fits their own ideas,' Nigel Watson, author of the UFO Investigations Manual told MailOnline.

'In addition to the discovery of this coffin, way back in March 2014 'Truthseeker' posted on Youtube a picture taken by the Curiosity rover that seemed to show a cross, which he thought was connected to a religious ceremonial religious structure.

Mr Waring suggests the coffin may hold a species of grays. UFO researchers use the term 'grays' to describe alien visitor with an oval shaped head and large eyes - similar to the depiction shown in the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind (pictured)

'He went on to speculate that it marked the position of a tombstone and claimed to have seen other images of the cross on the Martian surface. Christian worshipping aliens on Mars?

'The possibilities are intriguing but there isn't much firm evidence except that it does underline the adage that "seeing is believing".'

The find follows a similarly bizarre claim made in November, when a lady claiming to be a former Nasa employee said she had seen humans on Mars.

The woman, named 'Jackie', called into American radio station, Coast to Coast AM, with a 'confession' that she had witnessed suited men running on the red planet in 1979.

Other objects found in images of Mars include what some UFO hunters claim to be a fossilised iguana (left). Stock image of an iguana is pictured right

Former NASA worker claims to have seen men on Mars

Jackie said she was working as part of a 'downstairs' team downloading telemetry from a Viking Lander when she saw the humans via live feed.

'I wonder if you could solve a 27-year-old mystery for me,' she asked the presenter. 'That old Viking rover was running around.

'Then I saw two men in space suits - not the bulky suits we normally used, but they looked protective. They came over the horizon walking to the Viking Explorer.'

Earlier this year, Dr John Brandenburg, a plasma physicist at Orbital Technologies, said he believes an ancient civilisation on Mars was wiped out by a nuclear attack from another alien race.

Dr Brandenburg claimed ancient Martians known as Cydonians and Utopians were massacred in the attack - and evidence of the genocide can still be seen today.

He claimed his theory could explain the Fermi Paradox - namely why, if the universe is abundant with life, we haven't heard anything from anyone else yet.

Earlier this month, UFO enthusiasts claimed to have spotted Barack Obama's head on the Martian surface. They say a panoramic image from 2005 taken by the Spirit rover shows a rock shaped uncannily like his head

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Monday, 29 December 2014