Alien life advocates believe they have found eagerly-anticipated proof of extraterrestrials in the solar system. But these controversial claims are all the remarkable, as the alleged UFO base is said to have been found on arguably the least hospitable planet of them all – Mercury.
The smallest planet in our solar system and nearest to the Sun, Mercury is only slightly larger than Earth’s Moon.
US space agency NASA said in a statement: “Daytime Temperatures can reach 430C (800F) and drop to -180C (-290F) at night.
“It is unlikely life (as we know it) could survive on this planet.”
But apparently undeterred by these facts, UFO hunter Scott Waring believes he has spotted an ‘alien base’ on the distant planet.
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Waring’s claims are instead explained by an anthropomorphic effect known as ‘pareidolia’.
Pareidolia is the human brain’s tendency to accidentally recognise shapes and patterns where they do not exist.
NASA said: “Pareidolia is the psychological phenomenon where people see recognisable shapes in clouds, rock formations, or otherwise unrelated objects or data.
“There are many examples of this phenomenon on Earth and in space.”
