In the 1970s, NASA sent two spacecraft, Viking 1 and Viking 2, to explore the red planet, Mars. These missions brought back some intriguing images of the Martian surface. But there was one image that truly captured people’s attention—one that seemed to show a mysterious face on the surface of Mars. This discovery sparked a lot of buzz and, naturally, some wild theories.
On July 25, 1976, NASA’s Viking 1 Orbiter captured images of Mars’ northern region while scouting a landing site for the Viking 2 Lander. (Image credit: NASA.)
Richard Hoagland, an author and conspiracy theorist, jumped on this image and made a bold claim: the “face” wasn’t just a coincidence—it was proof of an ancient alien civilization! According to Hoagland, the face was a remnant of a long-lost city in the Cydonia region of Mars. He argued that this could be a sign that intelligent beings once lived on the planet. 🚀
However, things took a different turn when later spacecraft captured more detailed images of the region. These new photos revealed the so-called face was nothing more than a natural rock formation—just a hill that had been eroded over time. But Hoagland wasn’t convinced. He suggested that the new images, taken by different satellites, weren’t as good as the original Viking photos. He even claimed NASA had doctored the later images to make them look less like a face.
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Fast forward to today, and we know a lot more about the Martian surface. The “face” is now understood to be a perfect example of something called pareidolia—our brain’s natural tendency to see familiar patterns in random shapes. Whether it’s clouds that look like animals or a rock formation that resembles a face, pareidolia tricks us into seeing things that aren’t really there.
So, while the mystery of the Martian face remains a fascinating chapter in the history of space exploration, it turns out to be just another example of how our brains love to find patterns in the most unexpected places! 🌍✨
ref : livescience , howstuffworks
