NASA satellite shares a new image of Marree Man, an Australian carving that has puzzled scientists for decades
NASA confirms one of the greatest modern art mysteries is still going strong in Australia.
A pilot discovered the mysterious 2.6-mile-long geoglyph of an aboriginal hunter in 1998, etched into the earth, and to this day no one knows how it got there.
The Marree Man gained new life in 2016 when a group from the figure’s namesake town of Marree plowed the lines to keep the man from fading due to erosion. Now, NASA is sharing an image taken in June showing the success of their efforts.
So far, the restoration team’s belief that their preservation will last longer than the original holds up. They created wind grooves, designed to trap water and encourage the growth of vegetation, according to NASA. They hope that eventually the man will turn green.
Many have tried to discover the origin of the Marree Man.
CNN previously reported that Dick Smith, founder of Dick Smith Electronics and Dick Smith Foods, decided to tackle the mystery in 2016, and for two years his team pored over all the evidence to see what they could find.
He believed it was professionally done, so in 2018 he offered a reward of $5,000 Australian dollars ($3,712) for anyone with information regarding its existence.
No one has come forward, but several believe it was made by an artist living in Alice Springs, though other clues suggest the creator may have been an American.
Regardless, the Marree Man mystery lives on.