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At first glance, an image captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter appears to contain objects resembling spiders that crawl over the surface of Mars. The image, which was clicked on May 13, 2018 and released on Friday, actually shows a unique phenomenon that has little to do with spiders.
Spiders on Mars? Image courtesy of NASA
The photo shows a carbon dioxide ice cap covering a region of the red planet and, when the sun returns in spring, "spiders" seem to emerge from the landscape .
When the CO2 under the surface of Mars warms in the spring and shifts from solid to gas, leads to radiating mounds similar to spiders on the surface and called " araneiform ground " .
"The word" araneiform "means" spider-like "There are organized channels on Mars that look like spiders, but we do not want to confuse anyone by talking about" spiders "when we really hear "Cbads," not insects. " NASA says
" Over time, the trapped carbon dioxide gas is gaining pressure and is finally strong enough to break the ice like a jet that bursts into the dust, deposited around the vent or carried by the winds to produce streaks.Carbon dioxide leaves behind these characteristics similar to spiders etched in the surface, "says a NASA statement [19659005] an active seasonal process, to the sublimation of dry ice on Earth
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