NASA’s Perseverance rover has documented a Martian weather event similar to the whirlwind antics of the loopy, twirling Tasmanian Devil character. Looney Tunes The updated images display a dust devil consuming a smaller one on the rim of the red planet’s Jezero Crater.
These small whirlwinds move across the Martian surface, kicking up dust along their path and reducing visibility in their vicinity, Mark Lemmon , a scientist working with Perseverance at the Space Science Institute, states in a NASA release statement When two dust devils encounter each other, they may either cancel each other out or combine, with the more powerful one absorbing the lesser.
On January 25, while exploring a spot on the western edge of the crater known as Witch Hazel Hill, Perseverance captured images of rotating whirlwinds using its navigation camera. Approximately 0.6 miles distant from these vortices, the rover took pictures showing a large dust devil spanning around 210 feet wide drawing in a smaller, less distinct one measuring about 16 feet across. NASA combined Perseverance’s photographs of this occurrence into a sequence. short video .
When warm air from the surface of Mars ascends through the more dense, colder air above, it causes the surrounding air to rush in and fill the void. As this inflowing air starts to spin and ascend, forming a vertical column, its rotation accelerates much like an ice skater pulling her arms inward increases her rotational velocity, as explained by NASA. This swirling airflow lifts dust particles into itself, dispersing them across the planet’s terrain.
Dust devils significantly influence Mars' weather conditions, Katie Stack Morgan , a project scientist for the Perseverance rover at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, states in the announcement. "Studying dust devils is crucial since they reveal information about atmospheric dynamics, including dominant wind directions and velocities, and contribute to approximately half of the dust present in Mars' atmosphere."
Although it may seem intuitive to draw parallels between Mars' dust devils and Earth’s tornadoes —or the twister in The Wizard of Oz —Martian dust devils aren’t strong enough to pick up significant objects, never mind an entire farmhouse. "Given how sparse the Martian atmosphere is, it would be comparable to a gentle breeze," noted an atmospheric scientist. Priya Patel explains in a NASA video Although, you'd end up getting quite filthy.
According to a recent study , however, Martian dust might pose significant risks for upcoming astronauts, particularly concerning their respiratory well-being. "This dust manages to infiltrate every space and acts somewhat distinct from earthly dust," notes that the particles remain sharp and unweathered over time. Julia Cartwright , a planetary scientist at the University of Leicester in England who was not involved in the study, commented CNN ’s Jack Guy.
On the Moon and Mars, dust particles are extremely jagged. "This poses an issue when these particles are present in the air you breathe—as sharper grains tend to lead to greater irritation of delicate tissues, potentially causing problems for your respiratory system," Cartwright explains further.
Martian dust has previously created issues for unmanned space missions. For instance, a massive dust storm occurred in 2018. permanently shut down NASA’s Opportunity rover after coating its solar panels with dirt . The agency’s The InSight lander encountered a comparable end in 2022. . Both the Perseverance and NASA’s Curiosity rovers were created with nuclear power source , aiding them in coping more effectively during these dust storms, per Forbes ’ Amanda Kooser.
The recent dust devils are merely a few out of numerous instances that Perseverance has documented since touching down on Mars in 2021, and it has also managed to capture even more. captured the audio of a dust devil In 1997, NASA’s Pathfinder mission made history as the first to obtain these images. images of dust devils taken from the surface Further research into these dust devils and Martian dust overall might assist NASA in achieving its goals. aim to transport humans to Mars as soon as the 2030s.