An unusual photo released by NASA shows pale-pink dunes at Mars' north pole, from which dark and eerie “trees” appear to be “growing.” Only—they're not really there. The photo, originally taken back in 2008 by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, was reshared by NASA on social media, leading many to ask: Is Mars not as empty as we thought? NASA itself was quick to clarify. Alongside the image, it wrote: “Are those trees growing on Mars? No.”
According to the experts at the American space agency, these are dark sand streaks that appeared on light-pink dunes covered with a thin layer of ice (carbon dioxide), near Mars' north pole.
During the Martian spring, as the sun melts the ice, the dark sand beneath is revealed and sometimes slides down from the tops of the dunes, creating streaks that look like standing trees. But these streaks cast no shadows, indicating they are merely an optical illusion.
This is what it looks like
NASA further explained that the image was taken at a high enough resolution to detect objects about 25 cm in size and covers an area of approximately two kilometers. During the photo processing, researchers noticed a plume of sand dispersing in the air at the moment the image was taken, suggesting that some of the sand slides occurred in real time.
The trees aren’t alone: Buried faces, skeleton, angel, and a mysterious pit
This image is just one in a series of bizarre visual illusions recently spotted on Mars—some stirring up the internet, others causing embarrassment even among scientists.
Frozen face in the sand
Last September: The Perseverance rover sent back an image from Mars’ southern region. Within a thin layer of sand, a structure resembling a sun-scorched human face emerged—with prominent brows, nostrils, and a slanted mouth.
Angel at the south pole
In a photo taken by the European Space Agency (ESA) in December 2020, a winged “angelic” figure appears spread out on the ground at Mars’ south pole, next to a heart-shaped form.
Again, it’s just melting dry ice—despite the nearly biblical appearance.
Is that a femur bone?
In a 2014 image sent from the Curiosity rover, what appears to be a human femur bone lies fully intact on the surface. Of course, it's just an unusually shaped rock, likely the result of wind erosion—but that didn’t stop the internet from proclaiming: “We found a skeleton on Mars.”
The bottomless pit
And perhaps the most disturbing image of all: In 2017, NASA photographed a deep, circular hole near the south pole. The photo sparked theories that it could be an entrance to a subterranean tunnel system—maybe even one capable of supporting life.
So far, there is no definitive explanation accepted by scientists: It could be a ground collapse or an impact crater caused by an asteroid.
A final answer will likely come only when the first manned mission reaches the Red Planet.
So why do we see things on Mars that aren't really there? This phenomenon is called pareidolia—a psychological effect where the brain recognizes familiar patterns within vague stimuli, even when nothing is actually there. Usually, it's a bias toward identifying faces: A rock’s curve, a shadow in ice, or a dent in a dune suddenly looks like eyes, a nose, and a mouth. It’s the same phenomenon that makes us see figures in clouds or “faces” on the moon.
On Mars, it happens again and again—because where there is no life, our imagination fills the void.