Pictures of the weird object were first posted to Twitter by SecureTeam10, a YouTube channel which describes itself as ‘the number one source for breaking news and exposure of the alien phenomenon’.

‘What the heck is this at Area 51?’ SecureTeam10 asked.

We have been given the Google Maps coordinates of the object by a Twitter user named Joshua B, who lives in California.

He also posted a screenshot from a different mapping service which shows a similar shape dug from the sand nearby as well as sand in the middle of the object.

The ‘UFO’ was actually spotted near Naval Weapons Center China Lake, which is about 500 miles away from Area 51.

Some observers have suggested it’s a water reservoir or even a cesspit.

There is a boat nearby, which indicates that it could be used for sailing or perhaps testing boats.

However, this rather prosaic explanation was not enough for some Twitterers.

‘That, my friends, is one of the ships that’ll be used in a fake alien invasion,’ one nervous chap tremored.

‘Will be used to scare the masses. Remember this pic.’

Others questioned why you would test boats in a desert – and also whether the site was a military testing zone.

One person said: ‘It’s for boats. There is a boat nearby. That is a large pool of water with a launch ramp. Why is the question? WHY?’

It was later suggested that the object could be the result of some sort of glitch in Google Maps.

After the publication of this article, a reader wrote in and said: ‘While I do not have a definitive explanation I would like to point out that the exact same shape of the ‘ship’ is mirrored and imprinted into the ground across from it. That, plus the boat, leads me to believe this is a man-made body of water which caused a visual glitch.’

Can you explain the weird sighting? Do you know what the object is? Get in touch with jasper.hamill@metro.co.uk.

Source: Metro.co