The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mars Express found “spiders” on the red planet. The spiders aren’t the supposedly scary arachnids, but a natural geographic formation. The ESA explains that they are part of Mars called the “Inca City,” whose formation is unclear. However, ESA knows that the spiders were formed, “when spring sunshine falls on layers of carbon dioxide deposited over the dark winter months. The sunlight causes carbon dioxide ice at the bottom of the layer to turn into gas. The gas bursts free in Martian springtime, dragging dark material up to the surface as it goes, shattering layers of ice up to a [meter] thick.” The Mars Express took these pictures while looking for martials and maps out the atmosphere. This would help us when we first step foot on Mars.
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“Spiders” found on Martian terrain
April 29, 2024
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