The colour scenes were derived from three HRSC-colour channels. 'Face on Mars' in Cydonia region, perspective 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. 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. 'Human face' first seen in 1976 'Face on Mars' illusion as seen by Viking 1 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.
FACE OF MARS SERIES
When NASA scientists analyzed the structure's height and dimensions, they found that it actually resembled a rock formation here on Earth - the flat-topped mesa commonly found throughout the Southwest.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. By shooting the formation from different angles, it was able to put together a 3-D image. So in 2001, the Mars Surveyor returned to take even higher resolution photos. Richard Hoagland claimed the image had been intentionally enhanced so much that the face disintegrated. However, those who were convinced that this was a real image of a face were not appeased. In these more detailed pictures, what had appeared to be eyes, nose and a mouth vanished into nothing more than what scientists had originally surmised - a natural rock formation. In April 1998, the Mars Orbiter captured a picture 10 times sharper than the original photos. Once photographic imaging techniques had improved, they went in for a closer shot. Though scientists didn't believe the image captured of Mars back in the 1970s showed a real face, they did want to get a better look at it. The "face" measured nearly two miles across and had what looked like deep-set eyes and a clearly delineated nose and mouth. While the craft was snapping pictures of a region of the planet called Cydonia, Viking 1 captured what looked like an enormous human face staring up at it. Then in 1976, NASA's Viking 1 spacecraft was scouting out a potential Mars landing site for its sister spacecraft, Viking 2, when it came across something unexpected. In response to all of this postulating about life on Mars, scientists would explain that the atmosphere on the red planet couldn't support life as we know it. Wells' tentacled, squidlike aliens in "The War of the Worlds," to Looney Tunes' Roman helmet- and skirt-wearing Marvin the Martian. Books, television shows and movies have all arrived at their own interpretations of what Martians might look like, from H.G. We earthlings have always been fascinated with the idea of finding life on other planets, and we've been captivated particularly with the possibility that life exists on one of our closest celestial neighbors - Mars.
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