New high-resolution photo of the 'Face on Mars' proves Red Planet's most famous landmark is just a rocky hill - It was the startling photograph that spawned a thousand conspiracy theories.
A photograph taken by the American Viking 1 Orbiter in July 1976 appeared to show a hill in the shape of a human face on the dusty surface of Mars.
But a new photograph released today, which was taken with Nasa’s high-definition HiRISE camera, finally shows the Face on Mars for what it really is: just a large, rocky hill in the middle of the Martian desert.
The close up of the famous rocky outcrop on the surface of Mars which is unrecognisable from the famous 'face' spotted in the 70s
This is the closest ever image of the famous outcrop which should, once and for all, scotch the conspiracy theorists who believe that the 'face' is conclusive evidence of intelligent life on Mars.
Within days of its discovery in 1976, space enthusiasts were speculating that the structure was man-made and had been built by Martians in the distant past.
Today's image was taken by HiRISE from on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter which can pick out incredible detail from 300 kilometres above the planet’s surface.
The rocky formation is known as a mesa, a large rocky outcrop with a flat top and steep, cliff-like sides.
The Face’ mesa is in the Cydonia region and is a couple of miles long and a few hundred feet high.
Conspiracy theorists insist that the 'face' is an artifact from an ancient Martian civililsation and the centre of a Nasa cover-up.
Nasa even added to the theory by referring to the picture's human likeness in the caption it added to the photo when it first released it to the general public.
The outcrop looked a little like a face, complete with eyes, nose and mouth, because of the angle of the sun and its cratered surface, and Nasa happily pointed this fact out.
The incredible picture of what looks like a face on the surface of Mars from the original black and white Viking Orbiter picture. The discovery spawned conspiracy theories and even a film
A black and white version of the new HiRISE photo, The face is almost impossible to spot in this high-res image
The Nasa press release read: 'This picture is one of many taken in the northern latitudes of Mars by the Viking 1 Orbiter in search of a landing site for Viking 2.
'The picture shows eroded mesa-like landforms. The huge rock formation in the center, which resembles a human head, is formed by shadows giving the illusion of eyes, nose and mouth.
'The feature is 1.5 kilometres (one mile) across, with the sun angle at approximately 20 degrees. The speckled appearance of the image is due to bit errors, emphasized by enlargement of the photo.
Changing face of Mars: As technology and imaging improved, the face started to look less and less 'humanoid'
Side view: A three-dimensional side perspective shows the face more like the topographical feature it
The picture was taken on July 25 from a range of 1873 kilometres (1162 miles). Viking 2 will arrive in Mars orbit next Saturday (August 7) with a landing scheduled for early September.'
These theories continued despite subsequent fly-overs by probes in the 1990s and again in 2001 that showed it to be just a craggy hill.
Sceptics believed the weather during the later fly-overs had obscured the human features and remained convinced it was the product of an alien culture.
Seeing human faces in inaminate objects is known as ‘pareidolia’ and is why so many people see what they believe is the face of Jesus in tea leaves, clouds and even burnt toast.
Carl Sagan believed that humans are 'hard-wired' to find human faces wherever possible as part of our survival instinct. ( dailymail.co.uk )
See below for a European Space Agency video of the 'Face on Mars' from 2006.
A photograph taken by the American Viking 1 Orbiter in July 1976 appeared to show a hill in the shape of a human face on the dusty surface of Mars.
But a new photograph released today, which was taken with Nasa’s high-definition HiRISE camera, finally shows the Face on Mars for what it really is: just a large, rocky hill in the middle of the Martian desert.
The close up of the famous rocky outcrop on the surface of Mars which is unrecognisable from the famous 'face' spotted in the 70s
This is the closest ever image of the famous outcrop which should, once and for all, scotch the conspiracy theorists who believe that the 'face' is conclusive evidence of intelligent life on Mars.
Within days of its discovery in 1976, space enthusiasts were speculating that the structure was man-made and had been built by Martians in the distant past.
Today's image was taken by HiRISE from on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter which can pick out incredible detail from 300 kilometres above the planet’s surface.
The rocky formation is known as a mesa, a large rocky outcrop with a flat top and steep, cliff-like sides.
The Face’ mesa is in the Cydonia region and is a couple of miles long and a few hundred feet high.
Conspiracy theorists insist that the 'face' is an artifact from an ancient Martian civililsation and the centre of a Nasa cover-up.
Nasa even added to the theory by referring to the picture's human likeness in the caption it added to the photo when it first released it to the general public.
The outcrop looked a little like a face, complete with eyes, nose and mouth, because of the angle of the sun and its cratered surface, and Nasa happily pointed this fact out.
The incredible picture of what looks like a face on the surface of Mars from the original black and white Viking Orbiter picture. The discovery spawned conspiracy theories and even a film
The Nasa press release read: 'This picture is one of many taken in the northern latitudes of Mars by the Viking 1 Orbiter in search of a landing site for Viking 2.
'The picture shows eroded mesa-like landforms. The huge rock formation in the center, which resembles a human head, is formed by shadows giving the illusion of eyes, nose and mouth.
'The feature is 1.5 kilometres (one mile) across, with the sun angle at approximately 20 degrees. The speckled appearance of the image is due to bit errors, emphasized by enlargement of the photo.
Changing face of Mars: As technology and imaging improved, the face started to look less and less 'humanoid'
Side view: A three-dimensional side perspective shows the face more like the topographical feature it
The picture was taken on July 25 from a range of 1873 kilometres (1162 miles). Viking 2 will arrive in Mars orbit next Saturday (August 7) with a landing scheduled for early September.'
These theories continued despite subsequent fly-overs by probes in the 1990s and again in 2001 that showed it to be just a craggy hill.
Sceptics believed the weather during the later fly-overs had obscured the human features and remained convinced it was the product of an alien culture.
Seeing human faces in inaminate objects is known as ‘pareidolia’ and is why so many people see what they believe is the face of Jesus in tea leaves, clouds and even burnt toast.
Carl Sagan believed that humans are 'hard-wired' to find human faces wherever possible as part of our survival instinct. ( dailymail.co.uk )
See below for a European Space Agency video of the 'Face on Mars' from 2006.
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