Thursday, March 22, 2012

A dust devil observed on Mars

On 14 March 2012, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter NASA has captured images of a Dust Devil  on Mars. These phenomena are powered by solar energy, and occur very often in this period on Mars. The Dust Devil are columns of air rendered visible by dust, but unlike a tornado, they develop under conditions of clear skies and no wind. The air heated by the sun in the vicinity of the surface increases rapidly on contact with the colder air above it, and then begins to rotate.

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