# @europeanspaceagency on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DBjYLE-Nqpd
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/35585012-europeanspaceagency-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/ceea5eded7.jpg
- **Posted:** 2024-10-25T15:50:00.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** J.L.Lopez (@xandler80) — https://gondola.cc/xandler80

## Caption

Mars’ south pole awakens in spring! 🔴

Our Mars Express has captured stunning images of the south polar region of Mars as spring unfolds, revealing a remarkable landscape emerging from a blanket of frost. Among these features are dark patches called ‘cryptic terrain’ – mysterious areas that stand out against the icy surroundings. But now, researchers are starting to unlock the secrets behind these curious formations.

As the seasonal polar caps, primarily made of carbon dioxide ice, begin to sublimate (transform from solid to gas), large amounts of gas are released, creating fascinating surface features. One of the standout features in these images from the Australe Scopuli region is the dark-toned, polygon-shaped terrain – a periglacial pattern also found in Earth’s Arctic and Antarctic regions, shaped by freeze-thaw cycles over centuries. These polygons help scientists decode Mars’ climate history.

Look closely and you’ll see fan-shaped deposits scattered throughout the image. These form when sunlight penetrates the ice, creating jets of gas that eject dark dust onto the surface, sculpting fan-like patterns as winds shape the debris. This mirrors the formation of the ‘spider’ features seen in other Mars Express images.

Thanks to the long mission life of Mars Express, orbiting the Red Planet since 2003, scientists can track these seasonal changes year after year, continuing to unveil more of Mars’ mysteries.

📸 @europeanspaceagency/ @germanaerospacecenter/ @fu_berlin; @creativecommons CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
📸 @NASA/MGS/MOLA

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 15,782
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- **Comments:** 58

## Credits

These are the roles credited on Gondola. Credits may be incomplete.
A brand, account owner, or featured person is not necessarily the creator.

| Name | Username | Profile | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ESA - European Space Agency | @europeanspaceagency | https://gondola.cc/europeanspaceagency | Government Organization |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Producer |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Editor |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Social Media Manager |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Publisher |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Copywriter |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Community Manager |

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