The Cydonia Region taken by the Viking 1 orbiter and released by NASA/JPL on July 25, 1976 (north is to the upper right).

Cydonia Mensae is an albedo feature (region) on Mars. It lies in the planet's northern hemisphere in a transitional zone between the heavily-cratered regions to the South, and relatively smooth plains to the North. Cydonia itself is covered in numerous mesas and may have been a coastal zone if planetologists are correct in believing that the northern plains were once ocean beds. The Face on Mars, photographed by Viking 1 - public domain NASA photo File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Face on Mars, photographed by Viking 1 - public domain NASA photo File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... An albedo feature is a large area on the surface of a planet (or other solar system body) which shows a contrast in brightness or darkness (albedo) with adjacent areas. ... Adjectives: Martian Atmosphere Surface pressure: 0. ... Northern hemisphere highlighted in yellow. ... Tycho crater on Earths moon. ... == Headline text == Plains is the name of several places in the [[United usyduisaydashdsdsjdn Plains, North Lanarkshire, Scotland There are also The Plains, Ohio; Plainsboro, New Jersey; and Plainville, Kansas You might also be looking for the geographical feature plain; or the Plains Indians. ... Mathematics Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) is a current program that is building in schools around the United States. ... For other uses, see Coast (disambiguation). ... Planetary science, also known as planetology or planetary astronomy, is the science of planets, or planetary systems, and the solar system. ... The seabed (also sea floor, seafloor, or ocean floor) is the bottom of the ocean. ...

The Face on Mars

Cropped version of the original batch-processed photo (#35A72) of the 'Face on Mars'. The black dots that give the image a speckled appearance are data errors.

The second 1976 Viking image (left, image #70A13) compared with the 2001 Mars Global Surveyor image (right). 20 meters per pixel resolution.

Mars Global Surveyor high-resolution photo of the "Face on Mars" (North is to the upper left)

One of the Cydonian mesas, situated at 40°75' north latitude and 9°46' west longitude, took on the striking appearance of a humanoid Face on Mars in a photo taken by Viking 1 on July 25, 1976. Some commentators, most notably Richard C. Hoagland, believe it to be evidence of a long-lost Martian civilization along with other features they believe are present, such as apparent pyramids, which they argue are part of a ruined city. Image analysis of the early Viking images led a few researchers to suggest that the features of the Face might not be an accidental consequence of viewing conditions.^[1] Image File history File links Martian_face_viking_cropped. ... Image File history File links Martian_face_viking_cropped. ... Image File history File links Viking_moc_face_20m. ... Image File history File links Viking_moc_face_20m. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 600 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2400 × 2400 pixel, file size: 4. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 600 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2400 × 2400 pixel, file size: 4. ... Latitude,usually denoted symbolically by the Greek letter phi, , gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the equator. ... Longitude is the east-west geographic coordinate measurement most commonly utilized in cartography and global navigation. ... The term humanoid refers to any being whose body structure resembles that of a human. ... The Viking 1 was the first of two spacecraft sent to Mars as part of NASAs Viking program. ... is the 206th day of the year (207th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Richard C. Hoagland (born April 25, 1945) is a propounder of theories on astronomical topics that are considered offbeat by many mainstream astronomers. ... An electron microscope reveals bacteria-like structures in meteorite fragment ALH84001 For other uses of Life on Mars, see Life on Mars (disambiguation). ... For other meanings, see pyramid (disambiguation). ... Ury House, Aberdeenshire ruined by removal of the roof after the second world war to avoid taxation. ... Image analysis is the extraction of meaningful information from images; mainly from digital images by means of digital image processing techniques. ...

However, today it is generally accepted to be an optical illusion, an example of pareidolia. After analysis of the higher resolution Mars Global Surveyor data NASA stated that "a detailed analysis of multiple images of this feature reveals a natural looking Martian hill whose illusory face-like appearance depends on the viewing angle and angle of illumination"^[2]. Similar optical illusions can be found in the geology of Earth; an example is the Badlands Guardian, which resembles a human head wearing a Native American headress.^[3] An optical illusion. ... The term pareidolia (pronounced or ), first used in 1994 by Steven Goldstein,[1] describes a psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus (often an image or sound) being perceived as significant. ... The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) was a US spacecraft developed by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and launched November 1996. ... This article is about the American space agency. ... Illumination is either Illumination as the practice of living in Love and Light lighting — supplying light to an area Enlightenment (Satori), see also Illuminati the art of decorating letters or pages with ink and embossing techniques. ... This article is about Earth as a planet. ... The Badlands Guardian is a geological feature located at near Medicine Hat in the south east corner of Alberta, Canada. ... This article is about the people indigenous to the United States. ... Iraqi wearing a keffiyeh. ...

Originally, eighteen images of the Cydonia Mensae region were taken by the Viking 1 and 2 orbiters, but only seven have resolutions better than 250 m/pixel (820 ft/pixel). The other eleven images have resolutions worse than 550 m/pixel (1800 ft/pixel) and are virtually useless for studying the feature. Of the seven good images, the lighting and time at which two pairs of images were taken are so close as to reduce the number to five usable, distinct images. The Mission to Mars: Viking Orbiter Images of Mars CD-ROM image numbers are: 35A72 (VO-1010), 70A13 (VO-1011), 561A25 (VO-1021), 673B56 & 673B54 (VO-1063), and 753A33 & 753A34 (VO-1028). The Viking 1 was the first of two spacecraft sent to Mars as part of NASAs Viking program. ... Frost on Mars. ... An orbiter is a spacecraft that orbits a planet or moon without landing on it in order to study the objects surface from a safe distance. ... This example shows an image with a portion greatly enlarged, in which the individual pixels are rendered as little squares and can easily be seen. ...

Since September 2006, a succession of new data from the Cydonia region have been published by the European Space Agency and the HiRISE team. These have included photographs taken by the Mars Express probe^[4] and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter,^[5] and a 3D animation of the "Face on Mars" using a combination of digital data from the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on the Mars Express probe and the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) on board NASA's Mars Global Surveyor.^[6] In contrast to the relatively low resolution of the Viking images of Cydonia, these new platforms afford much improved resolution. For instance, the Mars Express images are at a resolution of 14 m/pixel (46 ft/pixel) or better. Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Paris headquarters The ESA control room in Darmstadt, Germany The European Space Agency (ESA), established in 1974, is an inter-governmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 17 member states. ... HiRISE The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera is a camera onboard the Mars Reconaissance Orbiter. ... Concept model of the Mars Express spacecraft Main Engine Thrust for braking manouevre Mars Express is a Mars exploration mission of the European Space Agency and the first planetary mission attempted by the agency. ... NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is a multipurpose spacecraft designed to conduct reconnaissance and exploration of Mars from orbit. ... Concept model of the Mars Express spacecraft Main Engine Thrust for braking manouevre Mars Express is a Mars exploration mission of the European Space Agency and the first planetary mission attempted by the agency. ... The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) was a US spacecraft developed by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and launched November 1996. ...

Cydonia and the Face on Mars appear frequently in popular culture, including feature films, television series, videogames and even music^[7]. Popular culture, sometimes abbreviated to pop culture, consists of widespread cultural elements in any given society. ... A reel of film, which predates digital cinematography. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... “Computer and video games” redirects here. ... Popular music is music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more of the mass media. ...

See also

• Galle, a Martian crater also known as the "Happy face" or "Smile" of Mars.
• Life on Mars
• Richard C. Hoagland

For the crater on the moon, see Galle (lunar crater). ... An electron microscope reveals bacteria-like structures in meteorite fragment ALH84001 For other uses of Life on Mars, see Life on Mars (disambiguation). ... Richard C. Hoagland (born April 25, 1945) is a propounder of theories on astronomical topics that are considered offbeat by many mainstream astronomers. ...

References

This article is about the American space agency. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Screenshot of Google Maps showing a route from Toronto to Ottawa on the 400-Series highways. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the European Space Agency. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... HiRISE The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera is a camera onboard the Mars Reconaissance Orbiter. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the European Space Agency. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Mission to Mars is a 2000 science fiction movie directed by Brian de Palma about a rescue mission to Mars following a disaster during the first manned voyage to the planet. ... The X-Files is a Peabody- and Emmy Award-winning science fiction television series created by Chris Carter, which first aired on September 10, 1993, and ended on May 19, 2002. ... Space was the ninth episode of the first season of The X-Files science-fiction television series created by Chris Carter. ... This article is about the television series. ... Where the Buggalo Roam is the tenth episode in season three of the animated television series Futurama. ... Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders is a graphical adventure game, originally released in 1988, published by LucasArts (known at the time as Lucasfilm Games). ... X-COM: UFO Defense is a video game created by Microprose Software. ... Telemetry Of A Fallen Angel (1997) is an album by The Crüxshadows. ... The Crüxshadows The Crüxshadows are a darkwave band from Florida, formed in 1992 by Rogue, Sean Flanagan, and Tim Curry. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Muse (disambiguation). ...

External links

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ...

Astronomy

• Viking Project, NASA
• Mars Express, ESA (NASA page)
• Mars Global Surveyor, NASA
• High-resolution images of Cydonia, Mars Express orbiter
• Astronomy Picture of the Day 25-9-06, recent visual of the Face on Mars
• Astronomy Picture of the Day 26-9-06, recent visual of the Cydonia region (including the Face on Mars)
• Discussion of MOC and "Face on Mars", Malin Space Science Systems (also, Face on Mars)
• Cydonia Mensae at Google Mars
• Independently processed Cydonia Images

Screenshot of Google Maps showing a route from Toronto to Ottawa Penang island and Seberang Prai on the mainland as seen on Google Maps [1] Google Maps is the conventional name of a free, web map server application and technology provided by Google that powers many map based services including...

"Face on Mars" as artifact

• The Enterprise Mission, Hoagland's official website
• The Hidden Records, official website of a book by Wayne Herschel
• Face on Mars, entry in the Skeptic's Dictionary
• Hoagland debunking at Bad Astronomy, a discussion of the science and pseudoscience of Cydonia
• The exact position of the Face on Mars on Geody, linked to NASA World Wind