Arachnoids on Venus
Explanation:
Arachnoids are large structures of unknown origin
that have been found only on the surface of
Venus.
Arachnoids get their name from their resemblance to
spider-webs.
They appear as concentric ovals surrounded
by a complex network of fractures,
and can span 200 kilometers.
Radar echoes from the
Magellan spacecraft that orbited
Venus from 1990 to 1994 built up this image.
Over 30 arachnoids have been identified on
Venus, so far.
The Arachnoid might be a strange relative to the
volcano,
but possibly different
arachnoids are formed by different processes.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
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rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
