The presence of an unusual entity along the coastline of a South Carolina island in the United States has sparked a wave of excitement within the online community.

According to radio station Sputnik, the NGO Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network based in the city of Charleston posted on Facebook an image of a strange circular object the size of large washed up on the shores of Seabrook Island.

Local officials came and recovered the strange object, prompting netizens to raise more doubts and theories.

“Clearly it’s an alien ship,” said Meghan Galipeau, a theorist.

Meanwhile, some other Facebook users simply assumed it was just inside a float or part of an oil rig.

The most widely believed theory is the explanation from a netizen named Jim Elrod. This person believes that this object is owned by NASA, is the part of the rocket nozzle in the space shuttle Challenger that exploded 30 years ago.

In June, the Charlotte Observer newspaper also reported on a similar strange object – made of metal – washed up on the coast of Corolla. However, the intended use and origin of the foreign object have never been disclosed.