Mars has a spring clear-out
No, it's not an exploding sponge - these remarkable images actually show springtime on Mars.
Nasa's Mars Orbiter captured the erosion of the planet's surface as its seasonal cap of carbon dioxide ice turns into vapour.
Jets of gas carry dust from the ground up through openings in the ice. The dust gets carried downwind by the prevailing wind and falls on top of the seasonal ice layer in a fan-shaped deposit.
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This creates the starburst patterns or 'spiders'.
Scientists believe a set of gas jets becomes active as the ice layer thins. These die down and then further away another set starts up where there is a different prevailing wind direction.
Mars' seasonal cap of carbon dioxide ice has eroded many beautiful terrains as it transforms from ice to vapour (above and below)
The pictures were taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera 155miles above the surface in February this year.
Its onboard telescope can take pictures with resolutions up to 0.3 m, allowing it to see details as small as a beachball.
The Orbiter has been studying the Red Planet since 2006.
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