Washington: A bizarre photo shared by a NASA astronaut has caused a stir on social media, initially thought to be an ‘alien egg’, but the reality turned out to be something else. The astronaut on the International Space Station shared a photo that showed a creature-like figure emerging from a purple egg. The astronaut later explained that it was not an alien but an ordinary potato, the roots of which had taken on a strange shape due to microgravity. The astronaut humorously named it Spodnik 1 on X and explained that the potato was attached to a temporary lighting system with a special Velcro hook so that it could grow in space. He said he got the idea for the experiment from The Martian, which featured the concept of growing potatoes in space.














