Ah, Mars. We’ve always enjoyed looking up and imagining what’s there, and thanks to the latest technology, we can see it in pretty surprising detail. Imagine my surprise to find out what’s been staring right back at us the whole time: Gandhi!
Let me quickly point out that the find, discovered by Matteo Ianneo of Italy as he perused Google Mars, is not an actual carving of a man’s face. Just like the famed Face on Mars, what we see here is merely a trick of the light — albeit a pretty convincing one. Should you wish to see for yourself, look for the new “face” at 33°12'29.82"N, 12°55'51.21"W (on Mars).
The illusion arises because human beings are just really good at spotting faces, even when they’re not actually visages on purpose. The phenomenon is known as pareidolia, and it’s responsible for some of the other interesting claims out there of seeing faces in inanimate objects.