NASA’s Perseverance rover recently observed a rare phenomenon on Mars, where a larger dust devil consumed a smaller one. The six-wheeled robot was conducting an imaging experiment when it captured images of the two dust devils interacting on the western rim of Jezero Crater.
The footage shows the larger dust devil, approximately 210 feet wide, and the smaller one, roughly 16 feet wide, with two more swirling in the background. The tiny twister ultimately got sucked into its larger counterpart, a process that scientists describe as a natural occurrence due to convective vortices, or dust devils.
According to Mark Lemmon, a Perseverance scientist, “Convective vortices can be rather fiendish.” These mini-twisters pick up dust and lower visibility in their area. When two dust devils meet, they can either collide or merge, with the stronger one consuming the weaker.
Dust devils on Mars are formed when hot air rises to cooler, denser air, creating a rotating column that picks up speed and dust. Unlike Earth’s atmosphere, which supports tornadoes, Mars’ atmosphere is too thin to sustain them.
The short-lived nature of dust devils on Mars can provide some consolation – the larger perpetrator likely met its end shortly after consuming the smaller one. These whirlwinds only last about 10 minutes before dissipating.
Source: https://gizmodo.com/nasas-mars-rover-captures-a-giant-dust-devil-swallowing-its-friend-2000584896