Observing the universe often creates more mysteries than it provides answers. Hubble images can show crosses, nonexistent nebulae, and even entire “space cities.” These illusions are not errors but the result of fundamental limitations. Let’s figure out where reality ends and illusion begins. Gravitational Lensing: How Space “Photoshops” Galaxies According to Einstein and his General Theory of Relativity, massive matter does not just attract objects; it warps the space around itself. Light always seeks the shortest path, but in warped space, this path becomes an arc. When light from a distant star passes a massive object—such as a galaxy cluster—that object acts as a giant magnifying glass. It focuses, stretches, and distorts the image, creating the effect of a gravitational lens. Einstein’s Cross: One Star or Four? One of the most famous examples of this “deception” is the object G2237+0305, or the Einstein Cross. The images clearly show four bright points symmetrically arranged around the center. By analyzing the wavelength changes of the light, astronomers have determined that these are not four different objects but “copies” of the same quasar. The light from this object took 8 billion years to reach Earth, but along the way, it encountered a lens galaxy. Its powerful gravity split the light beam, resulting in a quadrupled image. This proves that gravity can “reproduce” objects, creating optical illusions. The Cheshire Cat’s Smile Sometimes gravity paints very whimsical pictures. The galaxy cluster SDSS J1038+4849 looks like a kind smile with two bright eyes. Astronomers have nicknamed it the “Cheshire Cat’s Smile.” The “smile” is the light of distant galaxies, strongly stretched into an arc by the gravity of a closer cluster. The “eyes” are two enormous galaxies hurtling toward each other at immense speeds, heating the surrounding gas to millions of degrees. For scientists, this “drawing” is incredibly useful. By measuring the degree of light distortion, astronomers calculate the mass of the cluster and create maps of invisible dark matter. Mind Games: Where Do “Faces” on Mars Come From? The second cause of cosmic illusions lies not in space itself but in the human brain. This phenomenon is called pareidolia—the brain’s tendency to find familiar patterns in chaotic spots, clouds, or wallpaper designs. This is an ancient evolutionary mechanism. It was vital for early humans to instantly spot the face of an enemy or predator in the bushes. It was better to mistakenly take a rock for a tiger than to miss a real tiger and be killed. Now, this mechanism causes people to see “little green men” where there is only a play of light and shadow. Solving the “Face” on Mars The most high-profile case occurred in 1976. The Viking 1 probe sent back an image of the Martian surface that clearly showed a huge human face. The world was seized by a frenzy: everyone began talking about the monuments of an ancient Martian civilization. The reality turned out to be more prosaic. When technology advanced, the Mars Global Surveyor orbital station took high-resolution images of the same location. The “face” turned out to be an ordinary mountain, heavily eroded by wind. The illusion was created by two factors: Low quality of the old camera. The angle of the sun’s rays, which cast shadows mimicking eyes and a nose. The “Hand of God” in Deep Space Another example is a nebula nicknamed the “Hand of God.” In X-ray images, it genuinely looks like a ghostly hand reaching out to a glowing sphere. There is no mysticism here—only astounding physics. The “hand” is a cloud of gas illuminated by the pulsar PSR B1509-58. This is the core of an exploded star only 20 km in diameter, rotating at 7 revolutions per second. The pulsar blasts out streams of particles with incredible energy. It is these streams that “carve” a shape resembling fingers into the surrounding gas. What appears to be a frozen divine symbol is, in fact, the result of a violent cosmic storm. Giant Cubes and Alien “Cities” The third source of illusions is technology. The digital cameras (CCD sensors) on telescopes are imperfect. Radiation, communication glitches, and data compression algorithms often create artifacts that ufologists mistake for alien spacecraft. The Mystery of the “Borg Cube” near the Sun Images from the SOHO satellite, which observes the Sun, frequently appear online. In these images, a perfect black or white cube the size of Earth periodically appears next to the star. It is called the “Borg Cube” and is believed to be an alien base. Reality, as usual, is far more boring. The satellite transmits data to Earth in packets. Sometimes, due to antenna failure, some packets are lost, creating a “hole”—an empty square—in the image. The image processing software automatically fills this gap with a piece of the background from the previous frame. If the Sun has shifted while the “patch” remains in place, the illusion of an object appears. This is not a UFO; it’s a cosmic-scale “dead pixel.” Giant Rods and the “City of God” Sometimes long luminous rods are visible in the images. These are not motherships either but traces of cosmic rays. When a high-energy particle hits the camera’s matrix directly, it leaves a bright track—like a scratch on film, but digital. A separate story is the “City of God” (“Abode of Angels”). A photo purportedly from Hubble showing a shining celestial city circulates online. This is a complete fake. The image was originally published by the satirical tabloid The Weekly World News in 1994 as a joke, but thanks to Photoshop and gullible users, it became a legend. Illusions of Time: Ghosts of the Past The fourth illusion is time itself. Light has a finite speed—300,000 km/s. Therefore, it is impossible to see the universe as it is “now.” Looking at the night sky is always a look into the past. The Ghost of the “Pillars of Creation” The famous “Pillars of Creation” in the Eagle Nebula are 7,000 light-years from Earth. They appear majestic and calm. However, infrared telescopes have found evidence that about 6,000 years ago, a supernova exploded in that region. The shockwave has most likely already destroyed the “Pillars.” But the light from that destruction has not yet reached Earth—it still needs about 1,000 years. This means that people are admiring an object that physically no longer exists. It is a true “ghost” on a cosmic scale. Not Mirages, but Useful Tools Cosmic mirages are not just optical deceptions. When you understand the nature of these illusions, they turn into tools: Gravitational lenses help weigh galaxies. “Faces” and “hands” tell us about the winds of neutron stars. And understanding technical glitches teaches us to be critical of sensational news online. The universe is much more complex and interesting than attempts to find human features within it. Reality is boiling plasma, warped space, and light traveling across millennia. The next time you see a headline about a “giant ship near the Sun” or a “face on an asteroid,” remember pareidolia and dead pixels. Most likely, the answer lies somewhere out there.
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