An explanation was found for the mysterious black spiders observed on Mars

Strange, spider-like black spots were photographed on Mars by a NASA spacecraft. Researchers have now experimentally reproduced the formation of formations.

–

The image was taken by a space probe called the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on May 13, 2018. It looks like there are huge, nightmarish black spiders in the shot, but in reality we’re not talking about bizarre Martians, but a simple natural phenomenon.

The theory

One Theory set up in 2018 according to the so-called spider-like soil samples are formed when the frozen underground carbon dioxide heats up under the influence of the sun and begins to evaporate. It is an active, seasonal process that cannot be observed on Earth. Like the well-known dry ice, the frozen carbon dioxide on Mars sublimes under the influence of heat (i.e., from solid to gaseous immediately). However, this gas does not enter the atmosphere but is trapped below the surface.

The pressure of the accumulating gas cracks the ice over time, eventually erupting from below the surface and into the atmosphere. Meanwhile, it carries with it a black material, part of which is deposited at the site of the explosion, another part is transported farther by the wind.

According to the theory, therefore, spider-like spots remain after sublimated carbon dioxide.

Verification of the theory

The above hypothesis now proved in practice, thanks to a collaboration between Trinity College Dublin, Durham University in the UK and the Open University in the UK.

The researchers reproduced the conditions on the red planet in a special laboratory, the Open University Mars Simulation Chamber.

As a first step, holes were drilled in carbon dioxide ice blocks and then hung over a granular layer. The chamber pressure was adjusted to match the pressure of the Martian atmosphere.

When the blocks were allowed onto the warmer sand layer, gas formation immediately started at the affected surface and the material flew all over.

Lifting the ice again, the spider-like pattern became clearly visible on the surface.

With the experiment, the researchers were able to prove the theory explaining the formation of Martian spiders.

–