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Tornadoes and Twisters On Mars

3,534 Views· 04/13/12
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Dust devils occur on Earth as well as on Mars. They are spinning columns of air, made visible by the dust they pull off the ground. Unlike a tornado, a dust devil typically forms on a clear day when the ground is heated by the sun, warming the air just above the ground. As heated air near the surface rises quickly through a small pocket of cooler air above it, the air may begin to rotate, if conditions are just right. The Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured an image of one of these Martian Twisters. Using this image, scientists have recreated this dust devil in digital space.

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