Posted on 10/04/2012 3:41:05 PM PDT by grundle
Someone alert Ziggy Stardust, there appear to be spiders on Mars.
Strange black objects seen from 200 miles above the surface of Mars are generating interest and speculation that the unidentified objects could be anything from geysers to sunbathing colonies of microorganisms.
NPR presents several photos of the objects, including one taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on Jan. 27, 2010, that appears to show "little black flecks dotting the ridges, mostly on the sunny side, like sunbathing spiders sitting in rows."
The objects were first spotted in 1998. Interestingly, they appear when the surface of Mars begins to warm, showing up in the same location most of the time. And then when the Martian winter approaches, they disappear with the same precise regularity. The images have been brought into greater detail by Michael Benson in his book "Planetfall: New Solar System Visions."
Most scientists, including teams from the U.S. Geological Survey, Hungary and the European Space Agency, have their own theories, but the leading explanation is that the objects are geysers of CO2 exploding from underneath the planet's surface.
"If you were there, you'd be standing on a slab of carbon dioxide ice," Phil Christensen of Arizona State University told NPR. "All around you, roaring jets of carbon dioxide gas are throwing sand and dust a couple hundred feet into the air. The ground below would be rumbling. You'd feel it in your space boots."
And while the geyser theory is the most popular explanation, it has yet to be verified.
In the meantime, there are some interesting alternative theories, including one from a group of Hungarian scientists, who have speculated that the objects are actually colonies of photosynthetic Martian microorganisms that emerge each year to sunbathe in the warm weather.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Looks like Mars needs a Brazilian.
Looks like Mars needs a Brazilian.
Reminds me of a "Space 1999" show that had a "space spider" attaching itself to their viewing window.
I think Earth's spiders are too weird to have ever evolved on Earth, anyway. They're likely from Mars.
;)
The split view one is of MARS and the New Mexico desert.
ALL the others are from MARS.
And #59?
Where on Mars was 59 taken? By the orbiter?
Very interesting.
The picture in post 59 is from Mars.
All the photos I posted are from ASTRONOMY PICTURE OF THE DAY ARCHIVE.
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
That particular picture is from http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100119.html
Explanation: They might look like trees on Mars, but they’re not. Groups of dark brown streaks have been photographed by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on melting pinkish sand dunes covered with light frost. The above image was taken in 2008 April near the North Pole of Mars. At that time, dark sand on the interior of Martian sand dunes became more and more visible as the spring Sun melted the lighter carbon dioxide ice. When occurring near the top of a dune, dark sand may cascade down the dune leaving dark surface streaks — streaks that might appear at first to be trees standing in front of the lighter regions, but cast no shadows. Objects about 25 centimeters across are resolved on this image spanning about one kilometer. Close ups of some parts of this image show billowing plumes indicating that the sand slides were occurring even when the image was being taken.
Sure are wierd looking, don’t look like streaks to me.
I wonder what kind of other stuff we AREN’T seeing.
Morgellons came from Mars, lol.
Look like trees to me. Planted as windbreaks for protection from the fierce Martian wind storms of course. I think I can see a farm house down there.
It would be so cool if they could get a rover into this area. Or a low flying “predator”, for a closer look.
When we landed on the moon I was convinced that by the time I was the age I am, we’d have men standing on Mars. It frustrates me to know it probably isn’t going to happen in my lifetime.
Thanks for posting the photos. They are too cool.
You mean like this?
I had to look that up. Learned something new, thanks to you.
I see what you mean.
I'm gonna go throw up now.
Yeah, that kind of stuff.
Mars for the Martians!
Green man’s burden!
Stop Martian colonialist exploitation!
George Bush’s fault!
I was always hoping for a Moon base.
Some place where research and exploration could
go on.
Well, maybe my niece’s kids if they can escape the gulag.
The one Mars photo you posted looks distinctly fungal to me. All those scattered, dark eruptions forming, with more mature areas having raised growths ready to spore out. If so the surface is only the tip of the iceberg. Isn’t there some unusual, mostly underground mushroom in the Pacific northwest that covers an area measured in square miles?
All the photos in posts 58 and 59 are of Mars,except the split shot which compares a photo from Mars and Earth, side by side.
If so the surface is only the tip of the iceberg.
It seems the surface of Mars is covered by a dusty red-brown layer. Underneath there is some material that has a distinctly BLACK color. What it is , I do not know, but we keep seeing it more and more often. It seems to appear MORE during certain 'seasons' on Mars, according to the text accompanying the photos, from APOD.
Isn’t there some unusual, mostly underground mushroom in the Pacific northwest that covers an area measured in square miles?
Yes. I have read of more than one incidence of such a mold or fungus growth here on Earth. One in China, one in Michigan, one in Oregon, one in Washington State, and one in British Columbia.
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