(Original headline: Authors set out to explain mysterious faces of Mars )
The man in the moon may actually have lived on Mars, according to a book by author and artist George J. Haas.
Haas, 48, of Jackson, is the co-author with Canadian geoscientist William R. Saunders of “The Cydonia Codex: Reflections from Mars,” which was published in book form by Frog, Ltd. of Berkeley, Calif., and distributed by North Atlantic Books earlier this year. The authors first released the novel on compact disc in 2004.
The title of the book is a reference to the Cydonia region of Mars, where the image of a half-humanoid, half-feline face was first photographed by the Viking orbiter 30 years ago, and the accordion-shaped folder called a codex, in which the ancient Aztecs wrote their books, according to Haas.
“The Cydonia Codex” represents the belief expressed by Haas and Saunders that the faces photographed on Mars contain evidence in their construction of similarities with ancient Earth Mesoamerican civilizations.
“I founded the Cydonia Institute in 1991 with a group of other researchers,” Haas said. “We discuss perception, image fusion, random forms and image formation.”
Born in Lakewood, Haas and his wife and children now live in Jackson. However, through his telescope, Haas has long felt at home scanning the heavens.
“When I was in high school, my neighbor and I used to do some star gazing at about 1 a.m.,” Haas recalled. “We looked at Saturn because of its rings.”
These days, Haas is looking toward Mars for inspiration. He hopes National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientists will in turn look to his book as preparation continues for a manned mission to Mars at some point in the future.
“If NASA goes to Mars, I think they should go to Cydonia,” he said. “NASA scientists wear blinders. They acknowledge the presence of water [on Mars], but nothing else.”
Haas is hoping science buffs and science fiction fans eager to explore the possibility that intelligent life once existed on Mars will want to receive a copy of the book this holiday season.
“The CD-ROM [came out first] because [we believed that] people who have an interest in this kind of stuff have a computer,” Haas said. “But we found most people want a book they could hold in their hands.”
