This will also interest you
[EN VIDÉO] A powerful tornado recreated by the computer. Concerned about the hundreds of tornadoes that strike the central United States each year,…
On August 30, 2023, the 899th day of its mission to Mars, PerseverancePerseverance again witnessed the passage of a mini-tornado. This phenomenon, also called the “dust devil,” had already been captured by the rover, which also recorded the sound. This time it is a short video that Perseverance offers us.
An estimated height of 2 km!
The tornado passed through Jezero Crater about four kilometers from the rover. Based on the images taken by Perseverance, the width of the dust column could be estimated at 60 meters, which was moving at almost 20 km/h. Only the base of the tornado was filmed, but thanks to the shadow created, researchers were able to estimate its total height at two kilometers.
Dust devils are phenomena that cannot be predicted, even if they occur relatively frequently, especially in the spring and summer months. The observation of a dust devil is therefore always a small event, the study of which serves in particular to better understand the dynamics of the Martian atmosphere and to refine the meteorological models and weather models of the Red Planet.