Images sent back from Mars have a tendency to excite, inspire and confuse.

In 1976, while scouting possible landing sites for Viking 2, NASA’s Viking 1 captured a photo of what appeared to be a massive face hewn into the planet’s surface.

Since then NASA has sent back images of a jelly doughnut-shaped structure, a femur look-alike and 'skulls' aplenty, to the delight of conspiracy theorists and Martian lovers.

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Now NASA is showing off an image of what can best be described as a gargantuan space waffle.

Yes, a space waffle.

HiRISE, one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, captured this image of the puzzling landform.

(NASA/JPL )

On Dec. 3 NASA released an image from its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter of what it called an “enigmatic landform.” The picture reveals a 1.2-mile-wide circle of grooved ground surrounded by smooth lava flows.

NASA says the ‘island’ is in Mars’ Athabasca region and suggested a couple of origin theories for the area. Lava could have gotten underneath the circle and pushed it up from below, or a lava flow could have melted ice in the region and left the eroded disc shape pictured.

Either way, the picture is sure to ignite more discussion about the red planet.

With the recent successful Orion flight, NASA has reaffirmed its appetite to send manned missions to Mars within a few decades.

In the near future, scientists might be able to investigate the structure in person.

Syrup will be optional.

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A Face on Mars

NASA's Viking 1 Orbiter captured this image on July 25, 1976. NASA says the speckled appearance is due to missing data that happened while transmitting the image from Mars to Earth. (Image: NASA)