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Explanation: It was late in the northern martian spring when the HiRISE camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spied this local denizen. Tracking across the flat, dust-covered Amazonis Planitia in 2012, the core of this whirling dust devil is about 140 meters in diameter. Lofting dust into the thin martian atmosphere, its plume reaches about 20 kilometers above the surface. Common to this region of Mars, dust devils occur as the surface is heated by the Sun, generating warm, rising air currents that begin to rotate. Tangential wind speeds of up to 110 kilometers per hour are reported for dust devils in other HiRISE images.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Mars - Martian surface
Publications with words: Mars - Martian surface
See also:
- APOD: 2026 July 29 Á Psyche Receives Gravity Assist from Mars
- APOD: 2026 July 28 Á Barnards Loop over Twin Volcanoes
- APOD: 2026 July 21 Á Turtle Rock on Mars
- APOD: 2026 June 27 Á Mars Marathon by Perseverance
- APOD: 2026 February 22 Á Shadow of a Martian Robot
- APOD: 2026 February 1 Á Galle: Happy Face Crater on Mars
- APOD: 2025 September 28 Á Leopard Spots on Martian Rocks