In August 2026, an image circulated online that supposedly showed a "spider-shaped rock formation" on the surface of Mars.
For example, the Facebook page Space Journey shared the image on Aug. 2 (archived). The caption read:
A strange rock on Mars sparked curiosity after its leg-like shape resembled a giant spider. NASA's images show it's an unusual rock formation shaped by natural geological processes—not evidence of life.
The image also appeared elsewhere on Facebook (archived) and Reddit (archived). Snopes readers contacted us to ask whether it was authentic, meaning not created or editing using artificial intelligence.
We first uploaded the image into Google Lens to perform a reverse image search. Next, we used search engines such as DuckDuckGo, Google and Yahoo (archived, archived, archived) with the search term "Mars spider rock formation."
If the scene in the image were authentic, it would likely appear on NASA's website, seeing as it allegedly came from the space agency's Curiosity rover. Reputable media outlets might also have reported on it. That was not the case. We did not locate any examples of NASA or other credible outlets publishing the image, nor reporting on the alleged sighting.
The image did not authentically show a "spider-shaped rock formation" on Mars. It was created using artificial intelligence tools. Therefore, we've labeled the image fake.
The original source of the image was unknown. However, Facebook marked both postings we found on the platform as "AI Content." According to the platform, this is a label Facebook applies to items when it identifies a signal added by the AI tool used to create the content. This could be digital watermarks like Google or OpenAI's SynthID. This label, alongside other elements of the image, helped form our conclusion that it was fake.
We uploaded the image into Meta's AI identification tool, which said it was created using its generative AI tools, further supporting our conclusion that it was fake.
Let us note here: These types of AI detection tools are fallible. Snopes cautions people against using them for definitive answers on media's authenticity without supporting evidence.
In this case, visual signs of the use of AI included inconsistent shadows. For example, the image showed that the bottom of the "rover" in the image did not cast a shadow. The "spider-shaped rock formation" did cast shadows, meaning the rover should, too. That was not the case.
According to the text at the bottom of the fake image, NASA's Curiosity rover took the image on Sol 3987. Curiosity did send back an image on that Sol, but it was not the one of the alleged spider rock formation.
Additionally, the image text incorrectly translated Sols, meaning solar days on Mars. According to the the image text, Sol 3987 was either Sept. 11 or Nov. 9, 2024 (depending on whether the date listed month or day first). Sol 3987 was actually Oct. 24, 2023, according to NASA. It was unlikely that NASA would make such a mistake.
Snopes has debunked similar pieces of media before. For example, in August 2026, we traced the source of a fake image supposedly showing SpaceX's rocket crashing into the moon.