NASA Identifies Weird ‘Party Hat’ Object on Mars—But Some Scientists Aren’t Buying It
“The image clearly shows that there is no rock resembling this anomalous object within its natural environment.”
A small, cone-shaped object photographed on the surface of Mars has ignited a public dispute between a prominent Harvard University scientist and NASA over what it actually is—and whether the space agency should take it more seriously.
The debate centers on a photo taken on August 7, 2022, by the Mast camera onboard NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover.
The image, captured in the Martian regolith of the Paraitepuy Pass—a narrow gap in the Gale Crater on the slopes of Mount Sharp—shows a scattering of rocks across the planet’s surface.
But one object stood out.
Among the stones sits a shiny, cylindrical shape that best resembles a metal party hat.
It was originally spotted in NASA’s photo archive by amateur Mars researcher Rami Bar Ilan, then brought to the attention of Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb by Dr. Jan Spacek of the Florida-based Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution.
In a March 7 post on Medium, Loeb shared the photo and offered his assessment.
“The shiny object has a perfectly round cylindrical shape with a length of about 20 centimeters and a flat end,” Loeb wrote in his post. “The most likely explanation is that it corresponds to human-made debris.”
Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb Pushes NASA to Investigate the “Shiny” Object
Loeb didn’t stop at speculation. He publicly urged NASA to redirect the Curiosity rover — which was roughly eight kilometers away—to go back and investigate the object.
He called the task a higher priority than the rover’s current work.
“In my opinion, NASA should prioritize going back to examine the cylinder relative to the more mundane tasks of the Curiosity rover is pursuing,” Loeb told The New York Post on March 14.
“NASA is funded by the taxpayers and if we poll taxpayers they would likely agree with me that understanding the origin of the mysterious cylinder should be the top priority of Curiosity,” Loeb added.
However, NASA Says It’s Just a Rock
NASA offered a far more straightforward explanation. In an interview published March 28 by The New York Post, a NASA spokesperson identified the object as a naturally occurring rock.
The agency called it an example of pareidolia—the psychological phenomenon where people perceive familiar patterns in random or ambiguous shapes.
“We’ve seen many, many Martian rocks that exhibit shapes that, from a particular angle, look like a more familiar shape,” the spokesperson said.
NASA also disputed Loeb’s size estimate, saying the cone is only one centimeter large—not 20 centimeters. The rover apparently photographed it from a distance of just 13 feet away.
Some theories suggest the object was carved by Martian winds, giving it a peculiar shape.
Martian winds have created bizarre formations in the past, including a “flower” smaller than a penny that resembles coral and a hill formation that resembles a bear’s face with crater “eyes,” a V-shaped “nose” and a circular fracture forming a “head.”
Avi Loeb Responded, Dismissing NASA’s Claim
Loeb rejected NASA’s explanation and stood by his 20-centimeter size estimate.
He argued the object has a smooth cylindrical surface with a flat end—not a characteristic of natural rocks. He also pointed out that no other rocks resembling the object appear anywhere in the surrounding Curiosity rover images.
“The image clearly shows that there is no rock resembling this anomalous object within its natural environment,” Loeb told The Post.
“Also, a rock is not expected to have a smooth cylindrical surface with a flat end. If this object is a rock, we should see other examples of it,” he stated.
Loeb challenged NASA to produce another example of a similarly shaped rock from any Curiosity rover image.
As of now, the two sides remain at an impasse—with one small object on a distant planet fueling a very earthly disagreement.
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