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Face on Mars
and Face on Earth, Peru
When NASA’s Viking 1 Orbiter sent its first pictures back from
Mars in 1976, one feature caught the eye - the famous “Face on
Mars” in the Cydonia region. Other NASA orbiters have returned
higher resolution images showing that it’s just a naturally
forming rock structure. And now ESA’s Mars Express has revealed
even higher resolution images, showing a new perspective view of
the face.
Face on Earth: Nestled in the clays
of the Andes Mountains, near Colca Canyon, Arequipa, Peru, is
the face of a man as viewed from space in Google Earth.
NASA's Mars
Reconnaissance Orbiter
The first full color photographs are
back from
NASA's
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and they're big and beautiful.
The photos were actually taken in the infrared spectrum, so this
isn't what the human eye would see - the coloring was done on
computer. The spacecraft was 2,493 kilometers (1,549 miles)
above the surface of Mars when it captured this image. It'll be
getting much closer in the coming months, so the photos are only
going to get better.
Mars is ready for its close-up. The
highest-resolution camera ever to orbit Mars is returning
low-altitude images to Earth from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance
Orbiter.
Face on Mars
Cydonia
region, 1976
Original
'Face on Mars' image taken by NASA's Viking 1 orbiter,
in grey scale, on 25 July 1976. Image shows a remnant
massif located in the Cydonia region.
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.
Credits: NASA/JPL.
ESA probe
confirms Face of Mars is a naturally formed hill
September 25, 2006.
Source WashingtonPost.com
The best images ever taken
of the much-discussed "face on Mars" have conclusively
established that it is an unusual formation of
mountains, valleys and landslides.
Cameras on the
European Space Agency's Mars Express satellite, the
first European space mission to Mars, cut
through the atmospheric dust and haze in July to provide
clear images of the "face" in the planet's Cydonia
region. Project scientist Agustin Chicarro said the
photos "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 of an area of
great interest for planetary geologists."
A
perspective view showing the so-called 'Face on Mars'
located in the Cydonia region. The image shows a remnant
massif thought to have formed via landslides and an
early form of debris apron formation. The massif is
characterized by a western wall that has moved downslope
as a coherent mass. The massif became famous as the
'Face on Mars' in a photo taken on 25 July 1976 by the
American Viking 1 Orbiter.
Image recorded during orbits 3253 and 1216 by the High
Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board ESA's Mars
Express. Image is based on data gathered over the
Cydonia region, with a ground resolution of
approximately 13.7 meters per pixel. Cydonia lies at
approximately 40.75° North and 350.54° East.
Credits: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum), MOC (Malin Space
Science Systems)
The Face on
Earth, Peru
Satellite
image from Google Earth. Eye Altitude 11 miles.
The first full color photographs are
back from
Original
'Face on Mars' image taken by NASA's Viking 1 orbiter,
in grey scale, on 25 July 1976. Image shows a remnant
massif located in the Cydonia region. 
A
perspective view showing the so-called 'Face on Mars'
located in the Cydonia region. The image shows a remnant
massif thought to have formed via landslides and an
early form of debris apron formation. The massif is
characterized by a western wall that has moved downslope
as a coherent mass. The massif became famous as the
'Face on Mars' in a photo taken on 25 July 1976 by the
American Viking 1 Orbiter.