The Cydonia Face on Mars: The Image Was Steered Before the Question Was Answered

On July 25, 1976, Viking 1 flew over the Cydonia region of Mars and sent back a blurry, low-resolution image. In the image, a hill several kilometres wide had bright and dark patches that looked like human eyes, a nose, and a mouth. NASA named the hill the "Face on Mars." That single image raised a big question: is this natural terrain, or a structure built by an ancient civilization?

Cydonia lies between the southern highlands and the northern plains of Mars. The area has many mesas, which are hills with fairly flat tops and steep sides. When sunlight strikes at an angle, rock faces and shadows make lines that look like shapes built by people. The story did not stop at the face. Nearby, viewers also pointed to landforms they called pyramids, a city, and unusual straight lines.