Terrifying NASA photo of 'Bigfoot on Mars' has sparked a huge debate

Here is the story of a 'terrifying' photo which appears to show Bigfoot walking along the surface of Mars.

Few places have captured the creative imagination of UFOlogists, alien hunters and conspiracy theorists like Mars.

One of the closest planets to Earth, the red planet is both a popular source of inspiration for depictions of aliens, as well as the next big step in mankind's journey into space.

The search for life on Mars is yet to yield definitive proof of alien existence, this hasn't stopped our imaginations running wild. And there's one image in particular which remains as a source of fascination.

It is of course the photo of 'Bigfoot on Mars.

What is the 'Bigfoot on Mars' image?

Captured by a panorama from the NASA Mars Exploration Rover Spirit in late 2007, the image appears to show a figure hanging out on the Eastern Ridge of Mars.

The photo would later be shared online in early 2008, to which it received the expected response, you guessed it, aliens.

Maybe Bigfoot just wanted some peace and quiet. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University)

Upon first glance the image does bear a lot of resemblance to popular depictions of Bigfoot, or at least a humanoid shaped figure with elongated limbs.

According to the BBC, the image was posted online by Japanese blogger and would later go viral, with the broadcasting company being inundated at the time with emails about the supposed 'proof' of life on Mars.

'Bigfoot on Mars' still does the rounds on the internet every once in a while, with reactions on a recent Reddit thread reading, 'Poor dude escapes to another planet just to be like: ah s**t, here we go again!' and 'That’s one lonely fella'.

Could Bigfoot have really made it to Mars before us? (Getty Stock Images)

What actually is the object in the photo?

You don't have to be the biggest of cynics to recognise that the image isn't actually showing one of North America's biggest mythical creature enjoying some intergalactic travel on his day off from terrorising lone hikers, as it is of course just a rock.

A blog post from The Planetary Society has since branded the image as one of the many examples of 'pareidolia', which is the phenomenon in which humans are able to perceive shapes and patterns in completely random images.

Common examples of pareidolia include seeing faces in inanimate objects such as clouds, the face of Jesus in the Shroud of Turin and in this case, Bigfoot hanging out on Mars.

Here is the full panorama captured by the rover (NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University)

So there you have it, Bigfoot hasn't actually mastered the art of space travel, it's just our minds playing tricks on us.

But who knows, perhaps as our understanding and exploration of space continues to evolve, maybe we will come across extraterrestrial life for real next time.