AssetID: 54644432
Headline: RAW VIDEO: Remarkable Dust Devils Seen On Mars
Caption: This video footage, published Thursday (03April2025), shows a Martian dust devil seen consuming its smaller friend at the rim of Jezero Crater by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover on Jan. 25, 2025. Scientists studying Mars have highlighted the importance of so-called "dust devils" - miniature whirlwinds formed by rising columns of warm, rotating air—in shaping the planet’s weather patterns. Dust devils occur when air near the Martian surface is heated by contact with the warmer ground and begins to rise through cooler, denser air above. As air rushes in to replace it, a spinning motion begins. This rotation accelerates as the air ascends, much like an ice skater pulling in their arms to spin faster. As the swirling column picks up speed, it also lifts dust from the surface, forming the visible vortex known as a dust devil. “Dust devils play a significant role in Martian weather patterns,” said Katie Stack Morgan, project scientist for NASA’s Perseverance rover at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “Studying these phenomena is important because they tell us about atmospheric conditions, such as prevailing wind directions and speeds, and they’re thought to be responsible for about half of the dust suspended in the Martian atmosphere,” she added. Dust in the atmosphere is a major factor influencing Mars’ climate and weather, and understanding how it is lifted and transported across the surface is crucial for both scientific research and the planning of future missions. Perseverance, which has been exploring the Martian surface since 2021, is equipped with instruments capable of observing and analysing dust devils in detail, offering scientists valuable data on this dynamic and dusty planet.
Keywords: feature,dust devil,mars,space,science,photo,video
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