Mars Illusion Photos: The 'Face on Mars' and Other Martian Tricks

The Face on Mars

Mars is a weird place, and has long been a source of optical illusions. Here: You see the famed Face on Mars, as seen by NASA's Viking spacecraft in 1976.

But wait, there's more. Click through to see more photos of Mars illusions here.

Floating Spoon on Mars Circled

On Aug. 30, 2015, NASA's Curiosity rover snapped a pic that included a weird "floating spoon" circled here. Read the full story here.

Curiosity's Spoon on Mars: Raw Image

The so-called floating spoon on Mars seen by the Curiosity rover is actually a rock sculpted by wind, NASA explained. On Earth, such formations are known as ventifacts. Read the full story here.

Martian Rock "Person"

NASA'S Mars Exploration Rover Spirit captured this westward view from atop a low plateau where Spirit spent the closing months of 2007.

Mars canals diagram

(Left) This 1894 map of Mars was prepared by Eugene Antoniadi and redrawn by Lowell Hess. (Right) A Hubble Space Telescope photo of Mars shows the modern view of our neighboring planet.

Lowell's Mars Canals

Martian canals as depicted by Percival Lowell.

Rat on Mars

Once seen, it cannot be unseen. The “Mars rat” captured by Curiosity’s lens.

Mars 'Lizard' Photographed by Curiosity Rover

This image taken by NASA's Mars rover Curiosity on Jan. 10, 2013 shows a rock that looks a bit like an iguana (upper right).

Gandhi face on Mars

A Martian surface feature, as seen on the Google Mars database, that one man says looks like the profile of Mahatma Gandhi.

Flash of Light Spotted on Mars Close-Up

A bright flash of light appears to be visible in this image taken by the right-side navigation camera on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity on April 3, 2014.

Flash of Light Spotted on Mars

A bright flash of light appears to be visible in the distance in this image taken by the right-side navigation camera on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity on April 3, 2014.