Mars ‘penis’ draws snickers from across the internet

GlobalPost

We knew "John Carter" was a flop for Disney, and now we know why.

Perhaps the action sci-fi movie about a Martian war needed less phallic images if we're to believe our browsers today. 

Those keen-eyed erudites at Reddit discovered something while sifting through the thousands of images coming back from Mars thanks to the rovers exploring the red planet.

Naturally, they had to share, and millions of views later we have a "giant penis" in the dust of Mars.

Sure, we see the joke. We graduated high school, after all.

More from GlobalPost: Yours for the taking: a one-way ticket to Mars

If you're wondering how such a pattern emerged, rest assured there isn't some giggling college intern behind the joy stick on this one.

According to Science World Report, the Mars rovers are programmed to constantly explore the surface of Mars.

To avoid getting bogged down in the dust, a fate that befell the rover Spirit in 2009, the vehicles will spin in place.

So now you know.

And just so you're aware of exactly what everyone is using the internet for, the offending image created such a buzz on Reddit, the NASA server temporarily crashed.

More from GlobalPost: Mars rover Curiosity goes on spring break (VIDEO)

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