The ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter captured the image on February 8 in Mars' Terra Sabaea region. Using the spacecraft’s Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS), scientists uncovered the blue phenomenon on the Martian surface. The photo was shared on the ESA’s Twitter, where followers questioned if it was “life on Mars?”, but the space agency released a statement revealing its true origin.
The so-called spider is actually a sprawling pattern left behind on a ridge by a frenzy of dust devils, where hundreds or even thousands of whirly tornadoes formed.
The statement read: “This remarkable image was taken in the Terra Sabaea region of Mars, west of Augakuh Vallis, by CaSSIS onboard the ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter.
“This mysterious pattern sits on the crest of a ridge and is thought to be the result of dust devil activity – essentially the convergence of hundreds or maybe even thousands of smaller Martian tornadoes.
“This image is a colour-composite representation where features that are bluer compared to the average colour of Mars are shown in bright blue
