SPACE geeks were left stunned after noticing a “mysterious object” on Mars.

The strange cylinder-like piece was captured in a sH๏τ taken by Nasa’s Perseverance rover.

One person said on Twitter that it looks “artificially created”, and suggested it could be an artifact of ancient civilisation on the Red Planet or a chunk of a crashed UFO.

It turns out the intriguing item actually belongs to Nasa.

According to a UFO hoax debunker, it was dropped “intentionally”.

But some have slammed the space agency for littering on the planet.

The piece is a so-called ‘launch abrasion bit’.

It was apparently dumped on the ground back in July.

But since then, the object appears to have fallen over.

“This particular drill bit was installed before launch, to close out the drill and keep the inside protected,” the Perseverance team previously tweeted.

“To keep my science clean and clear, I’m leaving it aside before I start to collect samples with new, pristine drill bits.”

PH๏τo of launch abrasion bit taken in JulyCredit: Nasa