Space-watchers went into meltdown last night after an anonymous user on a Mars-rover fan forum posted what they claimed were “leaked snapsH๏τs” of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS as it skimmed past the Red Planet.
The grainy images — which experts say are likely just lens flares and dust storms — appeared to show a shimmering oval shape hovering above the Martian horizon. Within minutes, the pictures went viral under the hashtag #ATLASOnMars.
Then came the twist: NASA’s live feed from its Perseverance rover experienced an unexpected outage for routine maintenance, but conspiracy bloggers instantly cried cover-up.
Adding rocket fuel to the frenzy, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk chimed in playfully on X:
“Looks like they saw something they weren’t supposed to… ”
While Musk’s post was clearly tongue-in-cheek, thousands of UFO enthusiasts took it as proof of an interplanetary secret. Memes of “Martian gatekeepers” and “ATLAS landing pads” spread faster than a solar flare.
NASA later explained the brief blackout was due to a scheduled software update, not an alien encounter. Astronomers remind the public that 3I/ATLAS remains on a predictable natural orbit with no evidence of technology or control.
Still, the internet’s imagination is ablaze — and until better images arrive, the mystery of 3I/ATLAS continues to sparkle across the night sky.
