It’s spider season on Mars. There are no actual spiders on Mars as we know it, but every spring black spots in the shape of spiders dot the part of Mars next to the sky.
[Related: Mars’s mascara-like streaks may be caused by slush and landslides.]
European Space Agency (ESA) We have released a new image of These seasonal eruptions occur in a geological formation called Inca City in the south polar region of Mars.
How do Martian “spiders” form?
Mars is four distinct seasons, the same as Earth. Each season on Mars lasts about twice as long as the season here. According to ESA, these spider-like marks appear during the Martian spring when sunlight hits a layer of carbon dioxide deposited during the dark Martian winter. Sunlight turns the carbon dioxide ice in the bottom layer into gas. The gas builds up and eventually breaks through the plates on top of the ice around Mars’ poles. When they burst, the black material is dragged to the surface as it moves, shattering layers of ice up to three feet thick.
The resulting gas is filled with black dust and shoots up from cracks in the ice like fountains or geysers. The gas then falls back down and settles on the surface. Dark spots are created by the settling gas, Width ranges from 0.3 to 0.6 miles. This same process creates spider-shaped patterns carved into the ice.
The image was captured by Cassis equipment Riding the ESA ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO).Cassis is an abbreviation of Color and stereo surface imaging systems And it was built at the University of Bern in Germany. Create high-resolution images designed to complement data collected on Mars. It consists of a telescope and focal plane system mounted on a rotating mechanism, Three electronic units relay images to ESA.
Mysterious Inca city on Mars
Most of the spots in this new image are Angustus Labyrinth–More commonly referred to as Inca City. NASA’s Mariner 9 spacecraft first discovered the Inca city in 1972, and its network of geometric-looking ridges reminded astronomers of Inca ruins.
scientists We still don’t know exactly how Inca cities were formed. It could be a sand dune that has been turned into stone over thousands of years. It’s also possible that substances such as magma or sand seeped through cracked sheets of Martian rock. This ridge could also be a winding structure associated with a glacier called an esker.
Apparently there is also Inca City. part of a large circle– Approximately 53 miles in diameter. Scientists believe the formation, located inside a large crater, may have been formed when rocks from space collided with the surface of Mars. This impact may have caused the fault to ripple into the surrounding plains. The fault was then filled in by rising lava and worn away over time.
Towards the central section of the image, the landscape changes somewhat, with large round oval swirls creating an effect reminiscent of marble. This effect is thought to occur when layered deposits wear away over time.
[Related: Scientists brought ‘Mars spiders’ to Earth—here’s how.]
some markedly steep, flat-topped mounds or hills Stands approximately 5,000 feet above the surrounding terrain. These hills are formed by the erosion of soft materials such as wind, water, and ice. The hard material left behind forms these hills. Traces of the Spider are scattered throughout the dusty plateau, lurking among various canyons and valleys.
of Data for these images was acquired on October 4, 2020 In recent spring on Mars. The red planet is We are currently in the middle of autumn And the next vernal equinox will be on November 12, 2024.
