NASA has issue some interesting images from the Curiosity scouter showing dust hellion on the Earth’s surface of Mars , columns of lift air that move across the ground .
Curiosity is exploring Gale Crater , a basin 154 kilometers ( 96 miles ) across that was created when an asteroid or comet hit the planet 3.6 billion years ago . These images aid to work out how wind has shaped Gale Crater , especially the peculiar Mount Sharp that predominate 5.5 km ( 3.4 air mile ) above the priming coat .
The atmosphere of Mars is 100 times thinner than Earth ’s , so its flatus are much less forceful than ours . But over time , they can shape the landscape , having remove the material between Mount Sharp and the rim of the crater . This impression has been learn by Curiosity and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter ( MRO ) above the planet .
" The orbiter perspective gives us the bigger picture – on all sides of Mount Sharp and the regional context for Gale Crater . We conflate that with the local detail and priming - truth we get from the bird of passage , " aver Mackenzie Day of the University of Texas , Austin , jumper lead author of a study in the journalIcarusthat looked at the prevailing role of winding in Gale Crater , in astatement .
Gale Crater is currently experiencing its summer season , which is its verbose clock time of the year . So scientist are hop to see more of how the wind moves sand grain around on the ground , which can also explain how dunes on Mars take shape .
One set of images , for example , showed lowly rippling of sand move about 2.5 centimeters ( 1 inch ) downwind . Images get hold of in the afternoon of the Martian day several seconds apart also showed dust devils moving over the surface .
gumption shift underneath Curiosity from the wind . The range of a function is 0.9 meters ( 3 feet ) across . NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
Dust devilsare formed when the ground catch hotter than the melodic line above it , causing heated air to rise and make arise plumes of red-hot melody and fall plume of moth-eaten air .
When a horizontal wind bollix up too , perpendicular columns of horizontally circle air travel form , which move across the aerofoil and can pluck up Baroness Dudevant . At peak activity , you could see half a twelve dust demon in one location at certain points during the Clarence Shepard Day Jr. . They can get up to 10 kilometers ( 6.2 Admiralty mile ) gamey and span 2 kilometer ( 1.2 miles ) .
A detritus devil seen by Curiosity on February 1 , 2017 . NASA / JPL - Caltech / TAMU
And another on February 4 , 2017 . NASA / JPL - Caltech / TAMU
Curiosity is now on the lower slope of Mount Sharp , where it has begun a second campaign of looking at active sand dune on the northwestern flank of the mountain . More enquiry like this will aid us get a greater handle on how Mars changes its appearance over time .
