Nonetheless, the 'Face on Mars' was the subject of widespread speculation on the possible origins and purpose of artificial structures on the Red Planet, with the face being the most talked-about formation. One of these visible remnant massifs became famous as the 'Face on Mars' in an image taken on 25 July 1976 by the American Viking 1 Orbiter.Ī few days later, on 31 July 1976, a NASA press release said the formation "resembles a human head." However, NASA scientists had already correctly interpreted the image as an optical illusion caused by the illumination angle of the Sun, the formation's surface morphology and the resulting shadows, giving the impression of eyes, nose and mouth. This transition is characterized by wide, debris-filled valleys and isolated remnant mounds of various shapes and sizes. "They not only provide a completely fresh and detailed view of an area famous to fans of space myths worldwide, but also provide an impressive close-up over an area of great interest for planetary geologists, and show once more the high capability of the Mars Express camera."Ĭydonia is located in the Arabia Terra region on Mars and belongs to the transition zone between the southern highlands and the northern plains of Mars. "These images of the Cydonia region on Mars are truly spectacular," said Dr Agustin Chicarro, ESA Mars Express Project Scientist. Cydonia lies at approximately 40.75° North and 350.54° East. The data were gathered during orbit 3253 over the Cydonia region, with a ground resolution of approximately 13.7 metres per pixel.
#Cydonia face of mars series#
Neukum), Malin Space Science SystemsĮSA's Mars Express has obtained images of the Cydonia region, site of the famous 'Face on Mars.' The High Resolution Stereo Camera photos include some of the most spectacular views of the Red Planet ever.Īfter multiple attempts to image the Cydonia region from April 2004 until July 2006 were frustrated by altitude and atmospheric dust and haze, the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board Mars Express finally obtained, on 22 July, a series of images that show the famous 'face' on Mars in unprecedented detail. Image is based on data gathered over the Cydonia region, with a ground resolution of approximately 13.7 meters per pixel. Image recorded during orbits 32 by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board ESA's Mars Express. The massif became famous as the "Face on Mars" in a photo taken on July 25, 1976, by the American Viking 1 Orbiter. The massif is characterized by a western wall that has moved downslope as a coherent mass. The image shows a remnant massif thought to have formed via landslides and an early form of debris apron formation. With luck, the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft's high resolution camera, capable of 30 times more resolution than the best Viking photos, will soon confirm or refute this conclusion that the Cydonia complex is apparently artificial.Image: A perspective view showing the so-called "Face on Mars" located in the Cydonia region. Taken in conjunction with the finding of bilateral symmetry in the Face, the anomalous nature of nearby objects on Mars, and positive results from all other tests of artificiality to date, the weight of existing evidence appears to have shifted in favor of an artificial origin of the Cydonia complex. This has only about a 1% probability of occurring by chance. We here draw attention to the fact that the Cydonia area is right on the old martian equator, and the "Face" is oriented perpendicular to that old equator, to within the measurement uncertainties. But it has previously been established that the Martian poles had a different location with respect to the surface of the planet in the past (Schultz, 1985), and apparently jumped from that location to the present one in relatively little geological time. The principle test results favoring a natural origin are the apparently random location and random orientation on the planet, because no apparent purpose is served by a face monument looking upward toward space if it is not oriented right-side-up and in an attention-getting location on the planet. Eight tests of artificiality have been proposed, yielding mixed results. One of these is the so-called "Face" on Mars. The Cydonia region on Mars contains six landforms in close proximity that do not appear completely natural in one way or another.
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