homehome Home chatchat Notifications


Dust devil on Mars, as seen by Opportunity Rover

NASA's Opportunity rover beamed back this amazing photographed showing a dust devil swirling over the Martian surface. “This is one of the best dust devils that we have seen in Meridiani Planum,” said Ray Arvidson who's Opportunity’s deputy principal investigator.

Dragos Mitrica
April 4, 2016 @ 4:32 pm

share Share

NASA’s Opportunity rover beamed back this amazing photographed showing a dust devil swirling over the Martian surface. “This is one of the best dust devils that we have seen in Meridiani Planum,” said Ray Arvidson who’s Opportunity’s deputy principal investigator.

dust-devil

Photo: NASA

Scientists say dust devils on Mars form under the same conditions as in Arizona’s desert, for instance. These rotating columns of air pick up dust and debris typically on clear summer days when the ground is very hot. These form when there’s a contrast in heating among surrounding objects. The hotter part of the ground heats the air above it. This air is hotter than the surrounding air  so rises, punching through the cooler air above and creating a vertical column of warm, rising air. If a gust comes along, the arrangement is blown on its side.

On Earth, dust devils are pretty small ranging in height from 10 to 100 feet. In 2012, NASA caught an amazing dust devil that was half a mile tall, and 100 feet wide. It was far from the biggest — dust devils were recorded in the several miles high range.

Since they’re more aggressive, dust devils on Mars are thought to play an important role in the planet’s climate. These transport vast amounts of fine particles of dust from the surface to the upper atmosphere. The dust alters the albedo or reflectiveness thereby directly influencing the temperature on the surface of Mars.

NASA’s Spirit rover took this series of images of a dust devil spinning across Gusev Crater on May 15, 2005. Credit: NASA

NASA’s Spirit rover took this series of images of a dust devil spinning across Gusev Crater on May 15, 2005. Credit: NASA

What’s also amazing to note is that this picture was taken by the Opportunity rover which landed on Mars, along with its cousin Spirit, in 2004. It was scheduled for a six months mission, but almost 12 years later it still remains operational.

share Share

The Story Behind This Female Pharaoh's Broken Statues Is Way Weirder Than We Thought

New study reveals the ancient Egyptian's odd way of retiring a pharaoh.

China Resurrected an Abandoned Soviet 'Sea Monster' That's Part Airplane, Part Hovercraft

The Soviet Union's wildest aircraft just got a second life in China.

A Rocket Carried Cannabis Seeds and 166 Human Remains into Space But Their Capsule Never Made It Back

The spacecraft crashed into the Pacific Ocean after a parachute failure, ending a bold experiment in space biology and memorial spaceflight.

Ancient ‘Zombie’ Fungus Trapped in Amber Shows Mind Control Began in the Age of the Dinosaurs

The zombie fungus from the age of the dinosaurs.

Your browser lets websites track you even without cookies

Most users don't even know this type of surveillance exists.

What's Seasonal Body Image Dissatisfaction and How Not to Fall into Its Trap

This season doesn’t have to be about comparison or self-criticism.

Why a 20-Minute Nap Could Be Key to Unlocking 'Eureka!' Moments Like Salvador Dalí

A 20-minute nap can boost your chances of a creative breakthrough, according to new research.

The world's oldest boomerang is even older than we thought, but it's not Australian

The story of the boomerang goes back in time even more.

Swarms of tiny robots could go up your nose, melt the mucus and clean your sinuses

The "search-and-destroy” microrobot system can chemically shred the resident bacterial biofilm.

What if Every Roadkill Had a Memorial?

Road ecology, the scientific study of how road networks impact ecosystems, presents a perfect opportunity for community science projects.