Back To 
Main Subject Directory

Does Cydonia offer evidence of an ancient civilization 
that once inhabited the angry red planet?

Cydonia Mars - The Alleged Face and Pyramids

For centuries man has looked to Mars and has speculated on the many secrets that the red planet may conceal.  In the early years of astronomy, observers were mystified by the numerous grid-like lines etched on the planet's surface.  As observation techniques and technology improved, it was speculated that these mysterious lines could very well be canals.  Many observers, boldly suggested that they were waterways engineered by some intelligent life form.  Given that Mars appeared to be a lifeless planet, many observers speculated that perhaps the canals were built by a long since vanished civilization.  

These beliefs held for a number of years, until improved technologies revealed that the lines were most probably carved by the natural effects of erosion.  This in its self was a startling discovery in that it offered the evidence that water existed or did exist on the planet at one time.  Of course water is a key element to supporting life. 

In recent years, the technology for observing the planets has improved dramatically and it is now possible for our space probes to do close "fly-bys" of the planets and take fairly detailed photographs and other scientific measurements of the surface.

In 1976, the NASA Viking probe recorded a number of photographs of Mars that caused a sensation.  The photos of the Cydonia region revealed an anomaly that appears to be a huge (1,500 ft high) face staring out into space.  This Image was initially dismissed by NASA as a "trick of the sun light and shadows," however other photos taken at different angles, still reveal what appears to be a face.  In addition to the face image, there are several other strange anomalies that are extremely interesting.  

One of the most interesting is a formation in the shape of a five sided pyramid pointing directly at the face, and arranged a distance of exactly 1/360th of the polar diameter of Mars from the face structure.  The other anomalies in the Cydonia region give the appearance of a ruined, city-like, complex including several other pyramid shapes.  Together, the three areas form a equilateral triangle.

In 1998, NASA re-imaged the Cydonia region with the Mars Global Surveyor.  While the anomalies are still very much present in the photographs, the new images are of a higher resolution offering evidence that these structures may be of natural origins.  

One must consider, however, that hundreds of thousands of years of erosion could certainly obliterate detail.  We have many examples of that effect right here on earth.  After only a few centuries of neglect, we have found vast lost cities in the Yucatan that appear to be nothing more than over grown mounds of earth.  We find ancient cities swallowed up and buried by the Sahara and Gobi Desserts. 

The photos of the Cydonia region of Mars, as remarkable as they are, were taken from a distance of many thousands of miles above the planets surface.  As exploration technology advances, we'll get closer and closer to discovering the answers to the Cydonia controversy.  Will it be a fascinating geological discovery or will it be a fantastic archeological discovery?  Only time will tell.  What do you think? 

NASA is officially silent concerning the "explanation" of the Cydonia region.

Special Video:

NASA Cydonia Briefing:  Richard Hoagland (VHS Video)
available here

The Case for 
Extraterrestrial Life
The Mathematics
The Radio Astronomy
The Chemistry
Unusual Organisms
Fossils from Space

Cydonia and the
Face on Mars
Controversy

MARS




Controversial Face on the Surface of Mars

Recent Discovery

Strange aligned formations located in an area just south 
of the Cydonia Face

The Mystery of Cydonia 
has inspired a number of theatrical and literary interpretations:

Recommended
MARS MOVIES on DVD

Mission to Mars (2000)
Gary Sinise, Tim Robbins

The Red Planet (2000)
Val Kilmer, Carrie-Anne Moss

Total Recall 
Schwarzenegger, Stone

Recommended
BOOKS on MARS 

Mars : Uncovering the Secrets of the Red Planet

Voyage to Mars: 
NASA's Search for Life Beyond Earth

Mars Mystery : The Secret Connection Between Earth and the Red Planet

___________________
Examines the evidence that the barren Red Planet was once home to a lush environment of flowing rivers, lakes, and oceans. Could Mars have sustained life and civilization?