Photos of giant tornadoes on Mars

The Russian-European spacecraft Trace Gas Orbiter of the ExoMars-2016 mission sent photos of giant tornadoes that were taken from the orbit of Mars.

Giant tornadoes – dust whirlwinds are a constant phenomenon on the surface of Mars. These two photographs, taken 45 seconds apart on February 27, 2021, by the CaSSIS camera aboard the Trace Gas Orbiter of the Russian-European mission ExoMars-2016, show two moving tornadoes.

Roscosmos

Photos of giant tornadoes on Mars

The photo shows two bright dust columns that move along the bottom of a 70-kilometer crater in the southern hemisphere of Mars at speeds of about 4 and 8 m / s, as well as shadows from them. Tornadoes on Mars form in the same way as on Earth: when the surface temperature exceeds the air temperature, the air currents create an upward current, while the cold air descends, creating vertical circulation. Horizontal gusts spin this stream.

Tornadoes on Mars are larger than those on Earth. Their height reaches 8 km, while they leave a giant footprint. Roscosmos noted that the study of tornadoes makes it possible to understand how they could affect the climate of Mars.

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