Proof of alien life or just a strange rock? Conspiracy theorists spot a 'huge tower' on the surface of Mars

Strange new images of Mars suggest that aliens could be building towers on the planet's surface, according to conspiracy theorists.

A Nasa satellite probe has spotted a large spherical object on the red planet.

The sphere was snapped perched on one of Mars's ancient dried up lakes by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).

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A Nasa satellite probe has spotted a huge spherical object on the red planet (circled). The sphere was snapped perched on one of Mars's ancient dried up lakes by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and casts a long shadow across the planet's surface

The satellite has been mapping Mars from the planet's orbit since 2005.

The bright sphere, which casts a long shadow across Mars's dusty surface in the picture, was spotted by Alien hunters MarsMoonSpaceTV.

In the video, the team zoom in on an image taken by Nasa's MRO of a Martian lake that dried up millions of years ago.

The sphere can be seen perched on the edge of what remains of the giant lake in an area that was once covered by water.

'The massive white spherical object is unmistakable,' UFO YouTube channel SecureTeam10 explains in a video about the sphere.

'As you look around the image you don't see anything else like this and that's why it stuck out like a sore thumb.

'From the shadow it's casting I would have to say that this thing is not only large but it may have some height to it, so we may have a tower structure here.'

The sphere was snapped perched on one of Mars's ancient dried up lakes by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The satellite has been mapping Mars from the planet's orbit since 2005

'Conspiracy theorists are fascinated by the idea that there are towers on Mars,' Nigel Watson, author of the UFO Investigations Manual, told MailOnline. 

'This would be proof that in the past Mars hosted highly organised and advanced civilisations, unfortunately it seems to be a matter of wishful thinking.

'For me it is a large stretch of the imagination that this sphere provides evidence of a tower structure. Such things are more likely to be caused by natural formations, but until we get boots on the Martian surface we are all left to guess.' 

The images most likely show an example of a Martian 'spherule'.

Also known as blueberries because of a blue hue given to the objects in false-colour images, Martian spherules were discovered by the Mars rover Opportunity in 2004. 

One theory is the spheres may have formed when molten rock was sprayed into the air by a volcano or a meteor impact.

Another theory suggests they formed when groundwater flowed through porous rocks creating chemical reactions that cause iron minerals to precipitate into small, layered balls.

Captured by the Mars Rover Curiosity, an image taken on 1 January (pictured) shows a small dark sphere looking out of place lying among the familiar red dust and craggy rocks

The pictures most likely showed an example of a Martian spherule.  One theory is that the spheres formed when molten rock was sprayed into the air by a volcano or a meteor impact

The strange sphere is not the first to be spotted on Mars's surface this year.

Captured by the Mars Rover Curiosity, an image taken on 1 January shows a small dark sphere looking out of place lying among the familiar red dust and craggy rocks.

Some suggested it was a marble, but experts claimed it was an example of a Martian spherule.

'A number of straightforward geological processes can yield round shapes,' said Dr Hap McSween, an Opportunity science team member from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

A black and white picture taken  on 20 December 2016 shows the same ball in the same place, although Martian dust appears to have covered surrounding rocks since then.

The pictures were taken by Nasa's Curiosity rover - which has been examining the surface of Mars since it landed in 2011 - using its right mast camera. 

The pictures were taken by Curiosity's rover (artist's impression pictured), which has been examining the surface of Mars since it landed in 2011

This mosaic image shows some Martian spherules partly embedded, spread over the (smaller) soil grains. Another theory suggests they formed when groundwater flowed through porous rocks creating chemical reactions that cause iron minerals to precipitate into layered balls