Images taken from the south polar region of Mars show formations that look like giant spiders. Of course, we are not talking about real arthropods, but features formed in ice that are created during the transition from the Martian winter to the Martian spring.
Photo: ESA/TGO/CaSSIS
These tiny, dark features form when spring sunlight hits layers of carbon dioxide deposited during the dark winter months. Sunlight causes the carbon dioxide ice at the bottom of the layer to turn into gas, which then accumulates and breaks through the ice sheets above it. The gas is released during the Martian spring, drags dark material along with it to the surface, and breaks ice layers up to a meter thick.”
– wrote the European Space Agency (ESA).
As the gas bursts to the surface, pushing up dust and sand, it creates giant fountains that then fall back to the planet. As it settles, it creates the dark spots shown in the image, ranging from 45 meters to 1 kilometer in diameter.
So why do we see these patterns, which are actually a combination of cracks in dust and ice, as spiders? The phenomenon of seeing familiar patterns in objects is called pareidolia. From the point of view of evolution, it is logical to spot patterns that pose a threat to us as quickly as possible (e.g. a snake or a hungry bear).
What is the task of the European Space Agency’s TGO probe?
The task of the TGO spacecraft is to study the Martian atmosphere in detail. This allows us to get to know the planet more thoroughly on the one hand, and on the other hand we can obtain information on whether traces of life are present on the celestial body. The spacecraft is actually a huge nose in the Martian sky. Scientists are primarily looking for the presence of methane on the red planet. The compound can also be produced through biological processes. Since methane breaks down under the influence of UV radiation within a few hundred years, the presence of biologically produced methane gas may indicate that there is life on the planet, or at least there may have been life on it in the recent past.
A significant part of terrestrial methane is of biological origin, but it can also be produced underground through chemical processes. For this reason, TGO will not only have to determine the methane level, but also look for other gases that can be used to identify the possible source of methane emissions.
