AssetID: 53085940
Headline: RAW VIDEO: NASA's Perseverance Rover Captures Martian Dust Devil In Motion
Caption: NASA's Perseverance Rover’s latest feat is capturing a Martian dust devil in motion. The rover documented this fascinating phenomenon on August 30, 2023, during its 899th Martian day, or sol, as part of its atmospheric exploration of the Jezero Crater. This remarkable footage, sped up 20 times for clarity, consists of 21 frames taken at four-second intervals by one of the rover's Navcams. It provides a glimpse of a dust devil along the western rim of Mars' Jezero Crater. While these Martian dust devils are considerably weaker and smaller than Earth's tornadoes, they play a crucial role in redistributing dust across the Martian landscape, contributing to scientists' understanding of the Martian atmosphere and enhancing their weather models. Based on the imagery data, scientists determined that this specific dust devil was located approximately 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) away, in an area referred to as "Thorofare Ridge." It was moving from east to west at a speed of about 12 mph (19 kph) and had an estimated width of around 200 feet (60 meters). Although only the lower 387 feet (118 meters) of the swirling vortex were visible in the camera frame, scientists were able to estimate its full height. Mark Lemmon, a planetary scientist at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and a member of the Perseverance science team, noted, "We don't see the top of the dust devil, but the shadow it throws gives us a good indication of its height. Most are vertical columns. If this dust devil were configured that way, its shadow would indicate it is about 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) in height."
Keywords: video,feature,space,perseverance rover,martian,mars,NASA
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