Are there spiders on Jupiter? After 30 years, scientists solve the mystery of Europa’s spider demon

Researchers recreated Europa’s spider-like pattern in the lab, mimicking Earth’s ‘lake star’ formations. (Image: Prof. Lauren McKeown)

A cosmic spider seems to crawl across Jupiter’s icy moon Europa. Astronomers first spotted it in 1998 baffled by its origin. Galileo spacecraft photographed the eerie shape in Manannán crater long ago. Until now, its origin remained one of space science’s mysteries.

The feature sprawls across icy surface in branching frozen streaks. It appears alive, yet no creature exists on frozen Europa. The salty water seeped upward through cracks, leaving trails behind. The patterns eerily resemble spiders or alien asterisks in ice.

Scientists discovered that the “Jovian spider” which is Europa’s spider-like pattern is formed similarly as “lake stars” on Earth. This study was published recently in The Planetary Science Journal. The researchers used a similar technique to partially recreate the Manannán Crater's mysterious shape in the lab.

The researchers used computer simulations to test how subsurface salty water could produce the patterns. They found that tiny cracks in the ice, likely caused by an asteroid impact, allowed water to burst upward and spread out.

Water bursts through tiny cracks, freezing instantly into spider forms. Researchers call the phenomenon Damhán Alla which means “spider demon” in Irish. It's shocking symmetry and scale amazed planetary scientists studying Europa. This process is similar to “lake stars” on frozen Earth lakes.

Europa was once thought to be frozen and lifeless entirely. These formations reveal a dynamic subsurface ocean moving beneath the ice. It shows Europa’s subsurface ocean is dynamic, moving water beneath the frozen crust.  Understanding these features will help NASA’s Europa Clipper mission study potential habitability in the coming decade.

NASA’s Europa Clipper will be a chance to study on icy moons in the coming decade. This mission will search for heat anomalies, chemistry clues and flowing water. Scientists hope to catch further signs of Europa’s restless interior.

Every discovery may rewrite understanding of icy moons. Europa challenges scientists with ice worlds that can be violent, alive and strange. The universe continues to surprise scientists endlessly.