The images referred to as “spiders”, are actually named after “araneiform-topography”. In Latin “aranei” means “spider”, hence the pattern has been named so.
NASA recently released images of what seems like "Martian Spiders" taking over the planet’s South Pole. The images captured on May 13, by the Reconnaissance Orbiter seems to feature spiders crawling over the red planet's surface. However, they have little to do with actual spiders.
The images referred to as “spiders”, is actually named after “araneiform-topography”. In Latin “aranei” means “spider”, hence the pattern has been named so.
The Mars Reconnaissance orbiter has discovered evidence of thin layers of water ice (dry ice) beneath the surface of roughly one-third of the planet. During the winter at the South Pole of Mars, a carbon dioxide (CO2) cap is formed covering the region and once the sun begins to return in the spring, CO2 emerges and a pattern of “spider legs” can be seen, which is a seasonal process.
Scientists evaluated the images, stating CO2 gas expands and the mounting pressure eventually cracks through the surface, creating the design. The dark spots (from the image) are dust deposits around vents where CO2 erupts. When the sun begins to warm the frozen CO2, it forms the southern ice cap. When the CO2 warms, it transitions from a solid state into gas makes it appear like “spider legs”.