TIMESINDONESIA, JAKARTA – NASA’s Perseverance space probe captured a whirlwind known as a Martian dust devil, on August 30, 2023.
The whirlwind on the planet Mars, which was recorded by one of the Perseverance space rover’s Navcams, was moving from east to west at a speed of around 12 mph or 19 km/hour along Thorofare Ridge.
The video, sped up 20 times, consists of 21 frames taken four seconds apart. It is enhanced to display maximum detail.
Sixwheel geologists spotted the tornado as part of an exploration of Jezero Crater’s atmosphere.
As reported by NASA, the bottom of the Martian waterspout was captured as it moved along the western edge of Mars’ Jezero Crater, on the 899th Martian day or sol of the mission.
These waterspouts are much weaker and generally smaller than tornadoes on Earth.
These waterspouts are one of the mechanisms that move and redistribute dust around Mars.
Scientists study it to better understand the Martian atmosphere and improve their weather models.
Using data from the imagery, mission scientists determined that the twister was about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) away, at a location dubbed “Thorofare Ridge,” and moving east to west at about 12 mph (19 km/hour).
They calculated its width to be about 200 feet (60 meters). Although only the bottom of the 387-foot (118-meter) whirlpool was visible in the camera frame, scientists were also able to estimate its overall height.
“We don’t see the top of the dust devil, but the shadow it casts gives us a good indication of its height,” said planetary scientist at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and member of the Space Science Institute, Mark Lemmon.
“Most of it is a vertical column. If this dust devil was configured that way, its shadow would suggest that it is about 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) tall,” he added
Dust devils, which also occur on Earth, form when rising cells of warm air mix with descending columns of cold air.
This version of Mars could be much larger than those found on Earth. Although they are most prominent during the spring and summer months.
Mars’ northern hemisphere, where Perseverance is located, is currently summer.
Scientists cannot predict when they will appear in a particular location.
Perseverance and fellow NASA Mars rover Curiosity routinely monitor them in all directions, taking black-and-white images to reduce the amount of data sent to Earth.
The main goal of the Perseverance mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life.
The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, paving the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and being the first mission to collect and store Martian rock and regolith (rock fragments and dust).
NASA’s next mission, in collaboration with ESA (European Space Agency), will send a spacecraft to Mars to collect sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.
The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes the Artemis mission to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.
Reporter
: Widodo Irianto
Editor: Hendarmono Al Sidarto
2023-09-30 09:00:24
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