10 amazing things we found on Mars in 2024, from hundreds of 'spiders' to a 'Martian dog'

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Making new discoveries that help us uncover the secrets of the Red Planet's past and bring us closer to the possibility of one day making humanity's future there a reality - and this year's achievements certainly did just that.

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Here are the top 10 discoveries made on Mars this year, including the famous "spiders on Mars" and a massive dog-shaped feature, as well as the detection of an underground ocean and other significant water deposits.

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Giant underground ocean

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The NASA InSight lander found the underground reservoir in a layer of rock between 7 and 13 miles down on Mars by studying over four years of "Marsquake" data. While there is no way on Earth to dig this deep using our current drilling methods, this reservoir could be key to future space travelers if we can figure out a way to access it.

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"Spiders" swarm "Inca City"

When carbon dioxide ice changes directly into a gas and pulls up dust from below, which settles on the ground in unusual shapes.

known as the "Inca City" phenomenon.

This discovery has the potential to aid scientists in their pursuit of understanding these peculiar formations in the future.

Martian Canine and Enigmatic Spheres

Scientists have mapped the area around Mars' north pole with the aid of a revolutionary "gravity map".

The new map was created using data from the InSight lander and Mars Express orbiter, showing 20 underground structures with densities 19 to 25 pounds per cubic foot (300 to 400 kilograms per cubic meter) greater than the surrounding Martian terrain. Nevertheless, it is presently unclear how these structures formed or what they are composed of.

Research also confirmed the existence of a massive, solidified lava flow covering 1,100 miles (1,750 km) beneath Mars' highest mountain, Olympus Mons - a volcano that rises more than 16 miles (25 km) above the Martian equator.

Giant volcano has been hiding in plain sight

stretching out more than 280 miles across.

The massive volcano, which has yet to be named, was previously overlooked because it had been ravaged by erosion, leaving little visible above ground. Nonetheless, researchers examining the area pointed out that it is surrounded by remnants of old slopes that would have dominated the surrounding scenery in the ancient past.

Researchers have also identified what appears to be remnants of a buried sheet of glacier ice near the base of the volcano, which would make the volcano a prime location for conducting astrobiological research.

A salty smile

rising up from the surface of Mars as they examined the strange Martian terrain.

The grinning figure, formed by an ancient arrangement of chloride salt deposits along with a pair of meteorite crater-like eyes, was captured in a photo taken by the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. The chloride salt appears pink due to the image being taken in infrared. Normally, the smile would be difficult to see with the naked eye.

The photograph was taken as part of a study that examined almost 1,000 similar deposits, in which researchers believe "provide optimal conditions for biological activity and preservation."

Frosty mountains filled with icy water

—the shape and structure resembling frost.

Researchers estimate there could be at least 150,000 tons of water frost, equivalent to 60 Olympic-sized swimming pools, on Mars's four largest peaks at any given time, according to images taken by the European Space Agency's Trace Gas Orbiter.

Scientists initially believed that this phenomenon was unlikely to occur because the intense sunlight at the equator, where all the volcanoes are located, could instantly turn ice into gas. Nevertheless, a recent study reveals that while the frost sublimates rapidly every day, it refreezes overnight.

Weird rocks

Scientists from NASA report that the surface of Mars is cluttered with loose rocks, and their rovers discovered a peculiar assortment this year.

from "Star Trek."

In Jezero Crater, researchers said the unusual rock, called "Atoko Point" after a similar oddity in the Grand Canyon, is in its own class and possibly has the potential to reveal new information about Mars' past.

This is unlike anything else seen on the Red Planet. The exact origin of this rock, known as "Freya Castle," remains a mystery, but researchers believe it was formed through volcanic processes.

"Unknown and mysterious landscape" and "deep, unexplored regions"*

In April, the European Space Agency's Mars Orbiter snapped images of surface features around the planet's south pole, finding them to be "surprisingly dark compared to their icy surroundings."

They think the streaks on Mars are caused by patches of carbon dioxide ice that keep freezing and changing directly to gas throughout the year. This is a seasonal cycle, where the ice is visible during the Martian autumn and disappears in the spring.

The team also found specific areas where they think that dark dust is lifted from the surface into the ice, similar to the formation of "spiders on Mars", which form polygonal shapes where the dust absorbs extra sunlight and causes the ice to melt faster.

Green spots

this year.

The tiny spots, which are about 0.08 inches in diameter, were taken pictures of by the rover in August while it was examining a section called "Serpentine Rapids." The colorful patches were mixed with white dots among the rocks. Spots like these can be found in rocks on Earth when iron rusts, and the researchers think that might be happening in a similar way on Mars.

On Earth, microbes often help to break down rocks by oxidation, suggesting that a similar process may have occurred on Mars. However, these spots can also be caused by non-biological factors.

Buried ice chunks

this year.

The submerged ice blocks, which are an estimated 2.3 miles below the surface, were found using radar images taken by the Mars Express Orbiter from the European Space Agency. They are hidden under a geological formation known as the "Medusae Fossae Formation" and are buried under thick layers of ash and dust.

It is unclear how the underside ice ended up buried, but this is not the first time frozen water was found below Mars' equator, indicating it could be a good concept to establish future Martian bases near the planet's center.