                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2023 November 7

                        A Martian Dust Devil Spins By
     Video Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Perseverance Rover; AI processing:
                                  PipploIMP

   Explanation: It moved across the surface of Mars -- what was it? A dust
   devil. Such spinning columns of rising air are heated by the warm
   surface and are also common in warm and dry areas on planet Earth.
   Typically lasting only a few minutes, dust devils become visible as
   they pick up loose red-colored dust, leaving the darker and heavier
   sand beneath intact. Dust devils not only look cool -- they can leave
   visible trails, and have been credited with unexpected cleanings of the
   surfaces of solar panels. The images in the featured AI-interpolated
   video were captured in early August by the Perseverance rover currently
   searching for signs of ancient life in Jezero Crater. The six-second
   time-lapse video encapsulates a real duration of just over one minute.
   Visible in the distance, the spinning dust devil was estimated to be
   passing by at about 20 kilometers per hour and extend up about 2
   kilometers high.

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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

