The six-wheeled geologist spotted the twister as part of an atmospheric exploration of Jezero Crater.
The lower portion of a Martian dust devil was captured moving along the western rim of Mars’ Jezero Crater by NASA’s Perseverance rover on Aug. 30, 2023, the 899th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The video, which was sped up 20 times, is composed of 21 frames taken four seconds apart by one of the rover’sMuch weaker and generally smaller than Earth’s tornadoes, dust devils are one of the mechanisms that move and redistribute dust around Mars.
Using data from the imagery, mission scientists determined that this particular dust devil was about 2.5 miles away, at a location nicknamed “Thorofare Ridge,” and moving east to west at about 12 mph . They calculated its width to be about 200 feet . And while only the bottom 387 feet of the swirling vortex are visible in the camera frame, the scientists could also estimate its full height.
Dust devils, which occur on Earth as well, form when rising cells of warm air mix with descending columns of cooler air. The Martian versions can grow to be much larger than those found on Earth. And while they are most prominent during the spring and summer months , scientists can’t predict when they’ll appear at a specific location.
Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA , would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis. The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includesJPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.
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NASA's Perseverance captures dust-filled Martian whirlwindThe lower portion of a Martian dust devil was captured moving along the western rim of Mars' Jezero Crater by NASA's Perseverance rover on Aug. 30, 2023, the 899th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The video, which was sped up 20 times, is composed of 21 frames taken four seconds apart by one of the rover's Navcams.
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