Mars has no face

2001/05/28 Elhuyar Zientzia

• Astronomia

The photograph taken 25 years ago by NASA Viking 1 spacecraft in the Cydonia region on Mars made an impression. In the image was seen a plateau (plain with more height than its surroundings and lateral vertices) with eyes, nose and mouth. Immediately he was taken the form of an Egyptian pharaoh and soon the beliefs about the origin of the face appeared. The face was built by an ancient civilization, which had a clear relationship with the Egyptians. Although NASA repeated the look of the little table until it became bored that it was a whim of nature and the rays of the Sun, belief is still alive.

Three years ago the Mars Global Surveyor probe made new photographs of the face. They had a resolution 10 times greater than the old viking and showed neither eyes, nor nose nor mouth. Nothing distinguishes this face from the other plateaus observed in the Martian region.

However, many did not want to rule out the belief that the photo had been made in winter and that the fog that is at that time could hide the lines of the face. Mars Global Surveyor did more photos in the summer of last April and have shown again that there are no faces or blinds larger than you do not want to see.

In any case, NASA has taken the face as an excuse and has managed to get Mars back into everyone's mouth.