Tag Archives: dust devils

Curiosity update: A change in the weather (observations)

Posted on August 9, 2019 by rburnham

Sols 2489-91, August 8, 2019, update by MSL scientist Claire Newman: Over the weekend, Curiosity successfully dropped off a portion of the Glen Etive drill sample. But for some reason, the sequence was interrupted, so no images of the portion … Continue reading →

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Trace Gas Orbiter: Dust devil detail

Posted on April 9, 2019 by rburnham

Mars may have a reputation for being a desolate world, but it is certainly not dead: its albeit thin atmosphere is still capable of whipping up a storm and, as this image reveals, send hundreds – maybe even thousands – … Continue reading →

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Mars Express: Dark dust devil tracks

Posted on March 28, 2019 by rburnham

The winds of Mars are responsible for myriad features across the planet’s surface – including the dark dunes and wispy, filament-like streaks seen in this image from ESA’s Mars Express. The intriguing features shown here are ‘dust devil’ tracks: as … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Clouds on a summer’s day

Posted on December 18, 2018 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, December 18, 2018. During southern summer, clouds are a common occurrence over the south polar cap. These dust clouds started as small dust devils visible near the top right corner of this VIS image. See … Continue reading →

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InSight: Listening to the wind on Mars

Posted on December 7, 2018 by rburnham

NASA’s Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) lander, which touched down on Mars just 10 days ago, has provided the first ever “sounds” of Martian winds on the Red Planet. A media teleconference about these sounds … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Dust devil in action

Posted on November 23, 2018 by rburnham

Dust devil tracks in the Diacria region. Our eye might deceive us, but that bright spot in the enhanced color image looks suspiciously like a dust devil in action. Hmmm…. Beautiful Mars series. [More at links]

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Curiosity update: ‘Tis the season to be dusty

Posted on May 30, 2018 by rburnham

Sol 2067, May 30, 2018, update by MSL scientist Claire Newman: The previous plan included some tests of the sample delivery system, including delivery of a single portion to the closed cover of the SAM inlet. The imaging showed a … Continue reading →

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Dust devils: major source of atmospheric dust on Mars and Earth

Posted on September 18, 2017 by rburnham

Swirling columns of sand and dust, known as dust devils, are a feature of desert areas on Mars and on Earth. Now, a study of terrestrial dust devils has shown that around two thirds of the fine particles lifted by … Continue reading →

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Curiosity update: Searching for dust devils

Posted on March 23, 2017 by rburnham

Sol 1645, March 22, 2017, update by atmospheric scientist Michael Battalio and USGS scientist Ken Herkenhoff: The APXS will still be deployed on The Hop early on Sol 1645, and to avoid using battery power to heat up the arm, … Continue reading →

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Mars winds carve mountains, move & raise dust

Posted on February 27, 2017 by rburnham

On Mars, wind rules. Wind has been shaping the Red Planet’s landscapes for billions of years and continues to do so today. Studies using both a NASA orbiter and a rover reveal its effects on scales grand to tiny on … Continue reading →

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