Christmas might not be an earthbound holiday, according to a startling image from the surface of Mars taken by a European Space Agency satellite.
The ESA's Mars Express captured what looks like an angel, complete with halo and wings, near the Red Planet's southern pole.
The satellite's high-resolution stereo camera also snapped what looks like a stylized heart by the angel's side.
The ethereal images are merely coincidental, the agency insists, caused by geological features unique to the polar region.
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The ESA's Mars Express captured what looks like an angel, complete with halo and wings, near the Red Planet's southern pole. The ethereal shape is visible, the agency says, because of the pattern and composition of nearby dune fields, which are rich in dark, rocky minerals