Cydonia is a region on the planet Mars, and has attracted both scientific and popular interest. The name originally referred to the albedo feature (distinctively coloured area) that was visible from Earthbound telescopes. The area borders plains of Acidalia Planitia and the Arabia Terra highlands.
The area includes the Mars regions: “Cydonia Mensae”, an area of flat-topped mesa-like features, “Cydonia Colles”, a region of small hills or knobs, and “Cydonia Labyrinthus”, a complex of intersecting valleys. As with other albedo features on Mars, the name Cydonia was drawn from classical antiquity, in this case from Kydonia, a historic polis (or “city-state”) on the island of Crete.
Cydonia contains the “Face on Mars” featureâlocated about half-way between Arandas Crater and Bamberg Crater. The ESA “skull” formation is a few kilometres south of the “face”.
(read more) (the face)
