The 12 Mile Dust Devil Photographed On Mars
We may be a long way off from putting a man on Mars but as technology continues to improve and unmanned missions to the planet increase, we’re beginning to get a pretty good look at its surface anyway.
Back in 2012, using high-resolution cameras, photos taken of the Mars surface captured something pretty stunning: A 12-mile-high dust devil swirling and ripping across the planet’s surface.
Take a look at this Mars twister. It’s really something to behold.
That Mars image was captured by the High-res Imaging Science Experiment at the University of Arizona.
By measuring the Mars dust devil’s shadow (which was captured in other photos) scientists were able to determine its exact, and massive size. It ended up measuring a whopping 12 miles high when all was said and done. This thing would have taken Dorothy out of Kansas, right past Oz and into some other section of time and space. A massive, massive twister for sure.
Of course, dust devils are pretty common on Earth, particularly in the desert. We just never see them this big. Even tornadoes, which are far more violent and severe than dust devils, typically only measure 10 miles high.
Earthly dust devils are never more than a few hundred yards in height. Now just imagine what a Martian tornado might look like, if Mars had enough water to support them.
In the years and even decades to follow, more missions to Mars have captured dust devils springing up across the red planet. In 2022, the NASA Perseverance Rover was able to even record the sound coming from these dust devils. It was situated in a place where a dust devil passed within a few miles, and pinged particles off the censors.
And when (or if) humans make it to Mars, dust devils will certainly be something to take heed of and prepare for. They can cause damage to equipment and threaten structures that aren’t built to withstand the force. The biggest problem in visiting Mars? Of course not, but something to factor in nonetheless.
The good news for future human astronauts is that even at this size, this dust devil probably wouldn’t be very dangerous when compared to the other threats present. Remember, the density of Mars’ atmosphere is pretty low. Without much air there to move around even a dust devil this big probably wouldn’t pack enough of a punch to knock you over.
