Copyright © 1998 by Malin Space Science Systems, Inc.
Here are the objects referred to as the "coat hanger" and the "trailer park".
http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/target/cydonia_map2.gif
Here is a part of Viking frame 035a72, the original Cydonia face image. Note the long shadows. The face shadow is sharp implying from that angle the face has a silhouette like a pyramid. The "coat hanger" is at the bottom of the picture and has the same orientation as the face.
Adding an equivalent angled shadow to the "coat hanger" that the face has, and assuming the central part is high or was high before erosion:
Copyright © 1998 by Malin Space Science Systems, Inc.
It appears to be pointing to particular
marks, perhaps numbers on
the "trailer park". The photo was taken late in the morning at a time in
the day the shadow should come close to the marks. The Martian orbit has
a slight tilt, as Earth has, in its orbit around the sun. Because of this
the angle of the sun on the ground changes with the seasons and so the
shadow must touch different marks on the "trailer park" at different times
of the year.
The number of marks in the "trailer park" may refer
to a kind of Martian month of the year as this was the way our month
system was originally formed. If the months were of different sizes like
ours are this could account for their slightly uneven spacing. If there
were finer marks unseen by us even the week may be determinable. If the
shadows were simulated on a computer program and checked through the seasons
one must be able to see the pointing shadow go up and down the scale.
The effect of this would be that someone on the
ground could foretell the seasons by checking the "sun calendar" in a way
similar to how Stonehenge was used. Further analysis may show the shadow
reaching the end of the marks at each extreme of the seasons, summer
and winter.
It's too early to be sure, but the nature of these
features argues for an artificial explanation. There may also
be additional marks if the sun points the other way, but a better photo
may be needed:
There may be a semicircle of marks on this side to enable measurements at other times of the day. There may even be ways here to measure the Martian hour.
