Space & Astronomy

Opportunity rover snaps Martian dust devil

By T.K. Randall
April 7, 2016

Image Credit: (PD) NASA via Wikimedia Commons Dust devils, which are essentially columns of rotating hot air, have been seen on the Red Planet before - especially by the now deceased Spirit rover which encountered quite a few of them.

This latest one however, which was taken while Opportunity was making its way up a steep slope towards Knudsen Ridge, is perhaps the most impressive of them all."Just as on Earth, a dust devil is created by a rising, rotating column of hot air," NASA wrote on its website. "When the column whirls fast enough, it picks up tiny grains of dust from the ground, making the vortex visible."

The image was taken during Opportunity's 4,332nd day on Mars - a remarkable feat considering that the rover's original mission, which began back in 2004, was only set to run for 90 days.

Source: NASA

Tags: Mars, Dust Devil, Opportunity