Planets and Moons  ID: 11265

A Devil On Mars

Story by Aviva H. Rutkin Released on May 28, 2013
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A NASA orbiter spots a monster twister on the Red Planet.
In March 2012, NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured high-resolution images of an enormous, 12-mile-high dust devil storming across the northern plains of Mars. Dust devils are rotating columns of air that kick up sand and dust as they spin. Like dust devils on Earth, Martian dust devils spontaneously form when heated air rises from the surface and mixes with pockets of cold air above. Scientists estimate the winds generated by these whirling vortices can exceed 45 mph. Dust devils are common occurrences on Mars and were first imaged by NASA’s Viking mission in the 1970s. Watch the animation to see one in motion.
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This animation depicts the 12-mile-high dust devil imaged by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
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The dust devil is visible in this image taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
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The dust devil's funnel is 200 feet in diameter. Its height can be estimated from the length of the shadow it cast on the surface.
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Dust devils remove sand and dust from the surface, leaving behind temporary trails (dark lines) that crisscross the landscape.

Story Credits

Lead Writer:
Aviva H. Rutkin (USRA)

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Animation courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/UA
Orbiter images courtesy of NASA/JPL/MSSS

Short URL to share this page:
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11265

Keywords:
SVS >> App
NASA Science >> Planets and Moons