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Space & Astronomy

A history of Martian illusions

By T.K. Randall
June 10, 2011 · Comment icon

76 comments

Image Credit: NASA

A lot of strange things have been spotted on Mars over the years - but most are not quite what they seem.

Probably the most famous anomaly on Mars was the infamous "Face on Mars" photographed during the Viking missions. Images of a region known as Cydonia revealed a mysterious structure that looked like a face complete with eyes and a mouth. All was not quite what it seemed however - a more recent mission revisited the area and took a picture from a different angle revealing the face as little more than a natural formation and a trick of the light.

Humans have been seeing strange things on the surface of Mars for centuries. From the 1700s up through the present day, widespread fame has been available to anyone able to produce even the slightest bit of flimsy evidence that there's Martian life.

Source: Space.com | Comments (76)

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Recent comments on this story

#67 Posted by DBunker 13 years ago

Yea, I think that we can safely say that this Hoagland claim, IS PURE BUNK. NEXT!

#68 Posted by booNyzarC 13 years ago

Ok, I did it As you can see, it's a LOOOONG way off from having straight lines! May I remind you that on Earth we've seen natural mountains that have far straighter lines. Also, keep in mind, this mound is HUGE, if you looked at it close-up, you'd see how far off straight those lines are! Nice, but of course you know what the argument will be... the structures were eroded to be irregular over time.

#69 Posted by Archimedes 13 years ago

If they eroded, why doesn't the erosion show any internal structure? It this was a regular structure that eroded, then it seems to have been carved out of or built up from solid rock. Building something like this out of solid rock doesn't seem like something an advanced intelligent civilisation would do (at least to me). Making enormous solid (or mostly solid) structures out of rock was what the Egyptians were doing 5,000 years ago because they lacked the technology. The shape of the pyramids is also a result of it being a naturally stable shape - it doesn't require advanced technology to prev... [More]

#70 Posted by Pax Unum 13 years ago

Nice, but of course you know what the argument will be... the structures were eroded to be irregular over time. Yep, and then they'll say we're all a bunch of closed minded meanies...

#71 Posted by Hazzard 13 years ago

Yea, I think that we can safely say that this Hoagland claim, IS PURE BUNK. NEXT! http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,325346,00.html "No one on the Mars Rover team is puzzled or surprised by the rock," he said. "I can guarantee you that if [the alien theory] had any validity, we would would have a major press conference."

#72 Posted by bee 13 years ago

Yep, and then they'll say we're all a bunch of closed minded meanies... never..... but 'we' might say that you are possibly subjectively selective of the data you take on board...you know.. the confirmatory bias thing...or maybe that you are in denial.... aaaaaanyway....you've heard from the rest...now lets hear it from the best... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ4Meh7SNdU (richard's hair... )

#73 Posted by bee 13 years ago

Actually I wasn't joking, and I was pretty clear and nice about it. What I said was that you can agree or disagree with his conclusions, but he's been using the Scientific method to study this issue specifically for decades now. I'd say that makes his work worth mentioning. Also, you do know that he worked for Walter Cronkite, and NASA before that, right? At any rate, you can disagree with his conclusions, that's cool, I do on several subjects. But what he does is Science, his work is repeatable, and Geometry is a real thing that should not be scoffed at. nice work on this thread, BrandOfAmber... [More]

#74 Posted by Hazzard 13 years ago

Remember that all visual evidence at this site is drawn from, verifiable in, and supported by the official science data. Links to the associated official science data is always provided to both encourage and facilitate verification. Absolutely no evidence alterations have been made except to enhance clarity. There is no need for a leap of faith. If ever in doubt, pursue the verification process and prove it to yourself. http://www.marsanomalyresearch.com/

#75 Posted by booNyzarC 13 years ago

never..... but 'we' might say that you are possibly subjectively selective of the data you take on board...you know.. the confirmatory bias thing...or maybe that you are in denial.... aaaaaanyway....you've heard from the rest...now lets hear it from the best... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ4Meh7SNdU (richard's hair... ) Wait... are you sharing that video in support of this notion? I watched this video and couldn't help but think about how utterly ridiculous Richard Hoagland appeared in it, and no I'm not talking about his hair. He was pushing complete nonsense through the whole thing. I ca... [More]

#76 Posted by Archimedes 13 years ago

In what way have people in this thread who don't think there are pyramids or artificial faces on Mars being "selective" of the evidence? It's those I've seen promoting artificial structures on Mars who have been dismissive of evidence that doesn't fit their theory - photos that show that "straight lines" and "symmetry" aren't really there is dismissed because it merely shows erosion, a multitude of photos that doesn't fit what a single photo superficially seems to suggest are dismissed as being tampered with (without a shred of evidence too), a low definition photo from the 1970s that seems to... [More]

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A history of Martian illusions

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