{"id":61522,"date":"2024-07-14T07:38:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-14T07:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/9829482e-ef86-4f92-8557-df0ea50f9cac"},"modified":"2024-07-14T07:39:44","modified_gmt":"2024-07-14T07:39:44","slug":"there-are-appear-to-be-hundreds-of-spiders-on-mars-but-what-actually-are-these-strange-formations","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/there-are-appear-to-be-hundreds-of-spiders-on-mars-but-what-actually-are-these-strange-formations\/","title":{"rendered":"There are appear to be hundreds of spiders on Mars, but what actually are these strange formations?"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Sunday, 14 July 2024 at 07:38 AM<\/p>

\n\n

It turns out David Bowie was right: there really are spiders on Mars!<\/p>

These ones, though, aren\u2019t eight-legged creepy-crawlies, but rather a geological phenomenon.<\/p>

Spiders on Mars are really a geological phenomenon called \u2018araneiform terrain\u2019, if you want to get all technical about it.<\/p>

All the same, look at pictures of the Martian surface by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter or Mars Express missions.<\/p>

These little black bobs do indeed look like dozens of spiders crawling around.<\/p>

Image showing ‘spiders on Mars’ near the Red Planet’s south pole, as seen by the CaSSIS instrument aboard ESA\u2019s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. Credit: ESA\/TGO\/CaSSIS<\/figcaption><\/figure>
What causes spiders on Mars<\/strong><\/h2>
The ‘spiders’ on Mars aren’t really spiders, of course.<\/p>
Spiders on Mars are a seasonal feature related to the composition of Mars\u2019s atmosphere, which is 95% carbon dioxide (CO_{2<\/sub>).<\/p>}
During the Martian winter, layers of frozen carbon dioxide build up on the ground.<\/p>
Come spring, sunlight begins to thaw this ice from the bottom upwards, so big clouds of CO_{2<\/sub> gas form below the surface of the ice.<\/p>}
$\"Formations$
Formations that look like spiders on Mars, seen at the Red Planet’s South Pole by the HiRISE instrument on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit: NASA\/JPL\/University of Arizona<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Eventually, once the top-level ice \u2018crust\u2019 has thinned to a metre or so in thickness, these gas clouds burst free.<\/p>
Gas and dirt erupts through the ice in huge plumes, like water in a geyser or lava from a volcano.<\/p>
As the plumes subside, the dust and dirt they\u2019ve dragged up from the surface below falls back down to the ground.<\/p>
This forms the distinctive spider-like marks that you can see in these pictures.<\/p>
The individual \u2018spiders\u2019 on Mars measure anywhere from 45m to 1km (150 to 3,280 feet) across.<\/p>
$\"Image$
Image from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter during winter at the South Pole of Mars, showing spider-like formations. Credit: NASA\/JPL\/University of Arizona<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Discovery<\/strong><\/h2>
From the point of view of Earth-bound astronomers, these spiders are a relatively new phenomenon, having only been observed for the first time in the past few years as higher-resolution images of the Red Planet have come within our reach.<\/p>
They can found all over the Martian surface, but are particularly common in the region around a large structure that\u2019s been dubbed Inca City because its high ridges, which form squares and rectangles, resemble the Incan ruins that archaelogists have discovered here on Earth.<\/p>
Why \u2018spiders\u2019 should be more common in this region, though, is currently unknown \u2013 as are the mechanisms behind Inca City\u2019s unusual topography generally.<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Published: Sunday, 14 July 2024 at 07:38 AM It turns out David Bowie was right: there really are spiders on Mars! These ones, though, aren\u2019t eight-legged creepy-crawlies, but rather a geological phenomenon. Spiders on Mars are really a geological phenomenon called \u2018araneiform terrain\u2019, if you want to get all technical about it. All the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":61523,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/07\/there-are-appear-to-be-hundreds-of-spiders-on-mars-but-what-actually-are-these-strange-formations.jpg",1200,849,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/07\/there-are-appear-to-be-hundreds-of-spiders-on-mars-but-what-actually-are-these-strange-formations-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/07\/there-are-appear-to-be-hundreds-of-spiders-on-mars-but-what-actually-are-these-strange-formations-300x212.jpg",300,212,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/07\/there-are-appear-to-be-hundreds-of-spiders-on-mars-but-what-actually-are-these-strange-formations-768x543.jpg",768,543,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/07\/there-are-appear-to-be-hundreds-of-spiders-on-mars-but-what-actually-are-these-strange-formations-1024x724.jpg",800,566,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/07\/there-are-appear-to-be-hundreds-of-spiders-on-mars-but-what-actually-are-these-strange-formations.jpg",1200,849,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/07\/there-are-appear-to-be-hundreds-of-spiders-on-mars-but-what-actually-are-these-strange-formations.jpg",1200,849,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Published: Sunday, 14 July 2024 at 07:38 AM It turns out David Bowie was right: there really are spiders on Mars! These ones, though, aren\u2019t eight-legged creepy-crawlies, but rather a geological phenomenon. Spiders on Mars are really a geological phenomenon called \u2018araneiform terrain\u2019, if you want to get all technical about it. All the…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/61522"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

Image showing ‘spiders on Mars’ near the Red Planet’s south pole, as seen by the CaSSIS instrument aboard ESA\u2019s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. Credit: ESA\/TGO\/CaSSIS<\/figcaption><\/figure>
What causes spiders on Mars<\/strong><\/h2>
The ‘spiders’ on Mars aren’t really spiders, of course.<\/p>
Spiders on Mars are a seasonal feature related to the composition of Mars\u2019s atmosphere, which is 95% carbon dioxide (CO_{2<\/sub>).<\/p>}
During the Martian winter, layers of frozen carbon dioxide build up on the ground.<\/p>
Come spring, sunlight begins to thaw this ice from the bottom upwards, so big clouds of CO_{2<\/sub> gas form below the surface of the ice.<\/p>}
$\"Formations$
Formations that look like spiders on Mars, seen at the Red Planet’s South Pole by the HiRISE instrument on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit: NASA\/JPL\/University of Arizona<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Eventually, once the top-level ice \u2018crust\u2019 has thinned to a metre or so in thickness, these gas clouds burst free.<\/p>
Gas and dirt erupts through the ice in huge plumes, like water in a geyser or lava from a volcano.<\/p>
As the plumes subside, the dust and dirt they\u2019ve dragged up from the surface below falls back down to the ground.<\/p>
This forms the distinctive spider-like marks that you can see in these pictures.<\/p>
The individual \u2018spiders\u2019 on Mars measure anywhere from 45m to 1km (150 to 3,280 feet) across.<\/p>
$\"Image$
Image from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter during winter at the South Pole of Mars, showing spider-like formations. Credit: NASA\/JPL\/University of Arizona<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Discovery<\/strong><\/h2>
From the point of view of Earth-bound astronomers, these spiders are a relatively new phenomenon, having only been observed for the first time in the past few years as higher-resolution images of the Red Planet have come within our reach.<\/p>
They can found all over the Martian surface, but are particularly common in the region around a large structure that\u2019s been dubbed Inca City because its high ridges, which form squares and rectangles, resemble the Incan ruins that archaelogists have discovered here on Earth.<\/p>
Why \u2018spiders\u2019 should be more common in this region, though, is currently unknown \u2013 as are the mechanisms behind Inca City\u2019s unusual topography generally.<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Published: Sunday, 14 July 2024 at 07:38 AM It turns out David Bowie was right: there really are spiders on Mars! These ones, though, aren\u2019t eight-legged creepy-crawlies, but rather a geological phenomenon. Spiders on Mars are really a geological phenomenon called \u2018araneiform terrain\u2019, if you want to get all technical about it. All the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":61523,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/07\/there-are-appear-to-be-hundreds-of-spiders-on-mars-but-what-actually-are-these-strange-formations.jpg",1200,849,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/07\/there-are-appear-to-be-hundreds-of-spiders-on-mars-but-what-actually-are-these-strange-formations-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/07\/there-are-appear-to-be-hundreds-of-spiders-on-mars-but-what-actually-are-these-strange-formations-300x212.jpg",300,212,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/07\/there-are-appear-to-be-hundreds-of-spiders-on-mars-but-what-actually-are-these-strange-formations-768x543.jpg",768,543,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/07\/there-are-appear-to-be-hundreds-of-spiders-on-mars-but-what-actually-are-these-strange-formations-1024x724.jpg",800,566,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/07\/there-are-appear-to-be-hundreds-of-spiders-on-mars-but-what-actually-are-these-strange-formations.jpg",1200,849,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/07\/there-are-appear-to-be-hundreds-of-spiders-on-mars-but-what-actually-are-these-strange-formations.jpg",1200,849,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Published: Sunday, 14 July 2024 at 07:38 AM It turns out David Bowie was right: there really are spiders on Mars! These ones, though, aren\u2019t eight-legged creepy-crawlies, but rather a geological phenomenon. Spiders on Mars are really a geological phenomenon called \u2018araneiform terrain\u2019, if you want to get all technical about it. All the…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/61522"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}