Photos From 1973 That Look Like They’re From Mars
1973 delivered photos that look like they weren’t from Earth. Some deserts, industrial sites, and barren landscapes seemed Martian, as if a spaceship had taken a detour through our planet.
Craters yawned like deep scars, experimental labs glowed with unusual light, and machinery cast shadows that made everyday objects appear bizarre. These images captured a strange, almost alien side of our world, blurring lines between reality and science fiction.
Flip through these snapshots and witness Earth as you’ve never seen it. The strange, the uncanny, and the unexpectedly alien moments of 1973 make you wonder what a Martian photographer might have imagined.
Atacama Desert, Chile
Dry enough to fry toast, this desert doubles as NASA’s Martian playground for testing rovers and confusing tourists.
The Wave, Arizona
Nature’s psychedelic prank: swirling rocks so trippy they feel like a Martian screensaver from the early 2000s.
Námaskarð, Iceland
This geothermal wonderland smells like rotten eggs, but looks like a Martian spa bubbling with lava facials.
Devon Island, Canada
Devon Island is basically Mars with wifi turned off; craters, endless fog, and conspiracy theories on tap.
Teton Majesty
Grand Teton in Wyoming looks like Mars on vacation, with jagged peaks that could host an alien lodge.
Chemical Ponds
Fenced-off chemical ponds shimmer in green and orange, producing a bizarre, sci-fi industrial view.
Foggy Cliffs
Fog rolling through coastal cliffs in Oregon distorts perspective, making cliffs feel taller, sharper, unreal.
Wind Antennae
Giant wind turbines captured at sunrise cast long shadows, resembling alien antennae scanning a barren world.
Junkyard Relics
Abandoned cars in a New Jersey junkyard sit half-buried, resembling relics of a distant planet.
Australian Craters
Lunar-like craters in an Australian quarry appear so dramatic that they could be alien excavation sites.
New Mexico Storms
Storm clouds over New Mexico deserts swirl in unnatural patterns, like Martian weather gone rogue.
Desert Marscape
Wadi Rum’s red desert looks so alien that Hollywood keeps using it as a stand-in for Mars.
Red Clay Mountains
Distant mountains dusted with red clay look like the aftermath of alien terraforming experiments.
Pipe Titan
A 1973 pipe-laying machine dominates the scene, its massive arms twisting over dusty terrain, evoking a Martian construction nightmare.
Icelandic Slopes
Volcano slopes in Iceland, captured in winter light, appear otherworldly and eerily lifeless, like Mars’ surface.
California Veins
Dried riverbeds in California show branching patterns like veins of a strange alien terrain.
Utah Stone Towers
Red sandstone formations in Utah’s canyon create natural towers that seem sculpted by extraterrestrial forces.
Desert Dishes
Satellite dishes in Arizona glint under low sun, resembling futuristic communication hubs on a barren world.
Smoky Horizons
Smoke rises from distant chimneys, blurring into the sky, producing a Martian-like industrial atmosphere.
Nevada Mining Tech
Mining equipment left idle in Nevada forms geometric patterns reminiscent of alien technology.
Frozen Landing Zone
A frozen lake in Canada, cracked ice patterns radiating outward, looks like a red planet landing zone.
Salt Flat Mirrors
Salt flats reflect pink skies, creating a surreal mirror that turns Earth into an extraterrestrial stage.
Michigan Martian Sunset
Two canoeists paddle across Lake Michigan in 1973, sunset blazing so red it screams Mars vacation brochure.
Sahara Shadows
Desert dunes stretch endlessly, shadows twisting like alien landscapes, making 1973’s Sahara feel strangely Martian.