The Cydonia Region Containing the "Face on Mars"

Cydonia comparison

In July of 1976 the Viking 1 Orbiter imaged an area of the Cydonia region located in the northern latitudes of Mars. NASA released an image of a surface feature that due to sun angle and shadows gave the appearance of a human "face." The feature is 1.5 kilometers (one mile) across. It was imaged from a range of range of 1,873 kilometers (1,164 miles) with a resolution of 30 meters (98 feet) per pixel. Data transmission drop-out errors produced the speckled appearance of the image.

NASA contended that the feature was formed by natural geological processes; however, other groups speculated that the feature was an artifact formed by intelligent means. The Mars Global Surveyor mission has imaged the Cydonia area multiple times in an effort to resolve the public debate over the origin of features in this region. In 2001 the Mars Global Surveyor mission succeeded in imaging Cydonia from altitude of 450 km (280 miles) with a resolution of approximately 2 m (6.5 feet) per pixel. Below are links to MGS pages giving more information on Cydonia.

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