The photos were snapped by NASA’S Mars Curiosity Rover on the 2,620th day of its mission.

The remote probe has been exploring the surface of Mars since August 2012.

On top of collecting and analysing rock and soil samples, the rover snaps thousands of images it beams back to Earth.

UFO truthers like Mr Waring then trawl through the photos in search of supposed alien artefacts and technology.

And although most of the discoveries are nothing more than oddly shaped rocks, Mr Waring is convinced he is on the right track.

Commenting on his latest discovery, he said: “Hey, I was looking over a gigapan Mars photo when I realized I was looking directly at a Mars statue.

“The statue is similar to that of an Egyptian sphinx except this one is higher and this one has a halo around its head and a long robe.

“Also below the front of the robe, is a huge doorway in the shape of a cross.

The beings who enter it would be about 10cm tall

Scott C Waring, UFO Sightings Daily

“You can even see the face, hair, shoulders of the person.”

In Waring’s opinion, the supposed statue was sacred to the people who made it.

However, he went on to suggest the Martian ETs are absolutely tiny, measuring no more than 3.9 inches tall.

Mr Waring said: “The structure is about 1.5 metres tall, so the beings who enter it would be about 10cm tall.

“Not just 100 percent proof of aliens, but proof that aliens rely on religion.”

But scientists have never found any evidence of life on Mars and it is unlikely they ever will.

If life ever existed on the planet billions of years ago, it would have only been simple and microbial.

NASA said: “Even if there were no life on Mars, it would be exciting to know whether there used to be life there.

“So in addition to looking for living bacteria, NASA will be searching for tiny fossils that might indicate life got a start early in Mars’ history but, unlike on our home planet, it did not survive and evolve into larger life forms.”

Instead, scientists believe UFO hunters like Mr waring have fallen for an effect known as pareidolia.

Pareidolia, which is a form of apophenia, describes the brain’s tendency to see shapes and patterns where they do not exist.

NASA said: “Pareidolia is the psychological phenomenon where people see recognizable shapes in clouds, rock formations, or otherwise unrelated objects or data.

“There are many examples of this phenomenon on Earth and in space.”