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The Mars Express spacecraft has photographed “telltale signs of spiders” on Mars. The truth behind these systems may be surprising.
FRANKFURT – The question is whether Life has always existed on Mars, a major topic in research around the Red Planet. NASA rover “Perseverance” For example Exploring Mars for clues to past life. European Space Agency Isa Now it has taken up this debate again. With a certain smile Authority notifies on its website: “Signs of Spiders on Mars”.
ESA announces on its website that its space probe “Mars Express” has photographed “telltale traces of spiders” roaming the South Pole. tuesday scattered. Research recently provided unique images of the Red Planet. However, the space agency quickly clarified: “These small, dark structures are not true spiders, but are formed when the spring sun falls on layers of carbon dioxide deposited during the dark winter months.”
“The Telltale Trails of Spiders” is something entirely different
Sunlight turns the carbon dioxide ice at the base of the layer into a gas. This gas rises and breaks up the ice layers above. “During the Martian spring, the gas escapes, tearing up the dark material on the surface and breaking up ice layers up to a meter thick,” Issa says.
The dark dusty gas rises up through cracks in the ice in the form of tall fountains or geysers and settles on the surface. This leads to the formation of black spots ranging from 45 meters to one kilometer in diameter. “Spider-shaped” patterns are also created this way. From the perspective of the ISA photo, it is clear that the spider-like objects are actually significantly larger.
| 2. June 2003 |
| December 2003 |
| is in progress |
| Mars' atmosphere, surface, and subsurface; Mars' moons are Phobos and Deimos |
“Spiders” on Mars near “Inca City”.
The “spiders” captured by the Mars Express camera are located at the edge of an area on Mars that researchers call the “Inca City” — a linear, almost geometric network of ridges said to resemble Inca ruins. The Inca City, called Angustus Labyrinthus, was discovered in 1972 by NASA's Mariner 9 probe.
Issa explains: “We still don't know exactly how the Inca city came to be. Sand dunes may have turned into stone over time. “It is possible that material such as magma or sand could have flowed out through fractured layers of Martian rock.” However, they can also be winding structures called “eskers” attached to glaciers. (bk/tab)
