Phoenix Lander Captures Dust Devils on Mars

Source: JPL – Click to view an animated movie.

The Phoenix Lander has been quite busy on Mars, trying to cram in a bunch of work before the Martian fall, when light levels won’t be strong enough to sustain its operations. NASA released a series of images from Phoenix yesterday that show a dust devil blowing across the horizon.

NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander has photographed several dust devils dancing across the arctic plain this week and sensed a dip in air pressure as one passed near the lander.

These dust-lofting whirlwinds had been expected in the area, but none had been detected in earlier Phoenix images.

You might remember that one of the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit, snapped photos of dust devils in 2005.

Similar Posts on Geology News:

• Geology Picture of the Day – Cape St. Mary, Mars
• Live coverage of the Phoenix landing
• Congrats to the Phoenix Mars Mission Team
• Martian Geology – Naming, Rovers, and Landing Sites
• Movie Clip Shows Whirlwinds Carrying Dust on Mars

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