There may not be any insects on Mars, but new images taken by a spacecraft orbiting Mars have revealed a large number of “spiders” that appear to be wandering across the dusty surface.
They are, of course, not real living spiders; Rather, they are dark, elongated features on Mars that were created entirely through non-biological processes. They are called “spiders” because they resemble a species, with a central dark spot surrounded by thin bands radiating outward.
They are formed as a result of seasonal changes on the Red Planet, and extreme cold followed by high temperatures in the spring.
Although Mars has seasons, thanks to an axial tilt similar to Earth, those seasons are very different from what we experience on our home planet. Winter temperatures Dip below -123°C (-190°F)And almost everything freezes.
This includes carbon dioxide, which forms surface deposits of a substance known as dry ice here on Earth. As the cold winter begins to turn into spring, temperatures are warm; But when natural ice melts in the warm atmosphere, dry ice does not. Instead, it escalates directly into gas.
When this happens to ice at the bottom of the sediment, the pressure builds until a small explosion occurs, and the surface of Mars appears boiling-like. Cracks appear in the ice, and dark, dusty material is carried from beneath the surface and sprayed by the gas escaping into massive geysers, creating dark spots that can be up to 1 km (0.6 miles) wide.
Radial lines are actually present beneath the surface of the ice. In images from the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on ESA's Mars Express Orbiter, all you can see are dark spots, like freckles scattered across the sand.
However, the color imaging system and stereoscopic surfaces (Cassis) The instrument aboard ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter can see across a wider wavelength range, detecting spidery tendrils that radiate outward, just below the surface of the ice.
A new image of the Inca city on Mars — a strange formation named because it resembles ancient ruins as seen from above — reveals freckles everywhere, revealing just how active the surface of Mars can be when it begins to awaken into the greenhouse days of spring.
It's amazing to think what it will be like when the ice breaks open, and dust rises into the air. Maybe, if we're lucky, Mars explorers will one day Be able to send home footage of the alien space operation in action.
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