Following publication of our paper in the
Journal of the British Interplanetary Society [1], the following summer on Mars revealled more "spider" images [2]. With nearly two full summer seasons of the spiders, we are able to test many of the observations put forward in our first paper. To this end, we have compiled a table [3] of spider photos in seasonal order [4] beginning in early spring and ending in late autumn. The table shows that some spider areas are highly imaged. We separate these areas into clusters so that they can be more closely examined. Two main clusters [5] are considered. They are shown in the context of wide-angle THEMIS [6] images and MOLA [7] maps. We present information on seasonal temperatures to show how temperature is correlated with spider positions. Although we do not know what the spiders are at this stage of the investigation, it is possible to say what they are not based on inferred properties, interpretation of physical laws, and comparisons to known geological formations. Additional evidence is support of our arguments can be found on our web site at http://www.martianspiders.com/illustrations.htm.
Chronology
The story of the spiders is an interesting one. The term "black spiders" was coined by the MOC team [8]. One of the first and most interesting spider photos is M0804688 [9], which was found by Greg Orme in October 2000. Subsequently, Sir Arthur C. Clarke [10] saw this image and decided it might represent evidence of a form of life on Mars. This has lead to an unusual situation: Sir Arthur is highly respected in the scientific community [11]. A science visionary, Sir Arthur wrote about the possibility of plants on Mars over fifty years ago [12]. (Percival Lowell also believed in his day that the South Pole of Mars might contain life from his observations [13].) Although he has done many interviews and lectures on the subject (including Popular Science [14], Space.com, [15] the Smithsonian Institute [16], and the London Times [17]), the spider formations remain an enigma that is hardly mentioned in published papers on Mars.
Most people's reaction to images of the spiders is discomfort and confusion. When viewed together [18] they give an almost overpowering impression of some form of fungus, trees or coral. In fact, it would be almost impossible to find someone who did not get this impression. On the other hand, it is widely believed such life on Mars is all but impossible, and that even microbial life is barely conceivable. [19] The situation is that we are confronted with something that looks like life, but according to what we know about Mars, cannot be life.
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