The European Space Agency (ESA) has detected a unique phenomenon on Mars, which is likened to ‘wandering spiders’ on the planet’s surface as the sun returns in the spring.
IT ALL STARTS WITH SUNLIGHT FALLING
ESA said in a press release that one of its orbiters, part of its Mars Express space exploration missions, captured ‘spider’-like images of small, dark-colored phenomena that begin to form when sunlight falls on carbon dioxide accumulated during the planet’s winter months.
ESA explained that the light causes the carbon dioxide ice at the bottom of the deposits to turn into gas, ultimately exploding through the ice and expelling the dust in explosions before settling on the surface.
Although the resulting spider-like spots appear small from space, they are actually quite large. ESA noted that the smaller ones are 44 meters wide, while the largest ones can have a width of up to 804 meters. Beneath these large spots, the spider-like image is etched beneath the carbon dioxide ice, ESA added.
The spider appearance was also previously observed by the ‘ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter’, which was launched in 2016 and examined the Red Planet Mars to search for signs of past life.
‘MARS’ IS SEEN ON THE FOOTBALLS OF THE INCA CITY
The majority of the dark spots captured by the orbiter appear to be on the outskirts of a part of Mars dubbed ‘Inca City’ for its ‘linear, almost geometric appearance’ reminiscent of the ruins of the ancient civilization of the Inca. The region, discovered by a NASA study in 1972, is also known as ‘Angustus Labyrinthus’.
ESA states that it is not clear how the region was formed. Predictions include sand dunes turning to stone over time and material such as magma or sand seeping through the rocks.
According to NASA, Mars is currently experiencing ‘spring-like’ weather. NASA’s Curiosity Rover is enjoying warm weather on the planet, the agency said in a press release, as it is working on environmental monitoring and exploring Mars’ Gale Crater.
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