The spider-like formation could be evidence of epic eruptions of water that blast through Europa’ surface.
Spiders from Mars? Try Europa.
A team of planetary scientists from Ireland have examined and named an intriguing feature on the surface of Jupiter’s icy moon that resembles the shape of an arachnid — or perhaps an exploded asterisk.
They’re calling it “Damhán Alla,” which is Gaelic for “spider,” or in a particularly evocative phrasing, “wall demon.”
The team’s analysis, published as a study in The Planetary Science Journal, suggest that Damhán Alla, and other features like it, may be the festering wounds formed by torrents of water erupting through Europa’s icy shell.
“The significance of our research is really exciting,” lead author Lauren Mc Keown, a physicist at the University of Central Florida, said in a statement.
