While the formations aren't of alien origin, they are nevertheless of significant interest to planetary geologists.
More data from the same orbiter in 2001 further confirmed this conclusion. It took until April 1998, and confirmation with additional data from the Mars Orbiter Camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor, before popular speculation waned. The idea that the planet might have once been home to intelligent beings has since inspired the imagination of many Mars fans, and has been expressed in numerous, more-or-less serious, newspaper articles as well as in science-fiction literature and on many Web pages.ĭespite all this, the formal scientific interpretation has never changed: the face remains a figment of human imagination in a heavily eroded surface. The array of nearby structures has been interpreted by some space enthusiasts as artificial landscapes, such as potential pyramids and even a disintegrated city. 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.
That ancient ability still resides within us, but without the day-to-day threat of saber-tooth tigers lurking around the corner.After 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. It's thought the ability evolved in early humans to help them spot predators and potential threats before they saw us, just like in mammals. For instance, if you stare at clouds for long enough, chances are you’ll eventually see one that looks distinctly like something else. These visions are often explained by pareidolia, a phenomenon where humans spot recognizable structures or patterns - often faces - in meaningless stimuli. Plenty of strange sightings have been spotted in images of the rocky Martian surface in recent years, from rats, and a woman, to a floating spoon. However, after the rover approached the sight, it was revealed that was, in fact, a rather unremarkable rock. Some suggested the object may be an alien structure, perhaps even a grand monolith.
China’s Yutu-2 rover captured an image of a cube-like structure on the horizon while exploring the lunar surface in December 2021. You may remember the case of the “mysterious Moon hut” that got everyone excited late last year.