NASA orbiter finds a cluster of creepy “spiders” on Mars
Miscellaneous / / October 01, 2023
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured a breathtaking new image of Araneiforms in one of the craters on the Red Planet. These are landscape patterns, which are also called “spiders on Mars.”
“Arthropods” were captured in May 2022. However, only this week a photo got there to Earth.
It shows a crater with two notable features - dark formations that resemble a cluster of arachnids, and geometric polygonal shapes much like dried mud.
Araniforms reveal the history of natural processes on Mars. These patterns arise as a result sublimation ice below the surface. Similar formations have previously been noticed in other areas of the planet.
While spiders are indeed fascinating to look at, the polygonal formations are just as interesting for science. Previously, researchers had discovered similar forms in cold terrestrial environments subject to cycles of freezing and thawing of water. Therefore, studying them in the future could help to better understand the climate conditions and ice distribution on Mars.
Interesting finds on Mars🧐
- A large "avocado" was spotted on Mars
- Mars is alive: a stream of molten magma was found on the Red Planet
- Wave traces discovered on Mars