Perserverance Captures Crater Rim Dust Devil Eating Its Own

A Martian dust devil can be seen consuming a smaller one in this short video made of images taken by one of the navigation cameras aboard NASA's Perseverance Mars rover on Jan. 25, 2025, the 1,398th day, or sol, of the mission. When the rover snapped these images from about 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) away, the larger dust devil was approximately 210 feet (65 meters) wide, at least 1,300 feet (400 meters) tall, and moving about 2 mph (1 meter per second) to the west-northwest. The smaller dust devil trailing behind (also in the foreground) was roughly 16 feet (5 meters) wide, about the same height, and traveling a bit fast as it was sucked into the larger whirlwind. Perseverance recorded the scene as it explored the western rim of Mars' Jezero Crater at a location called "Witch Hazel Hill." Two other dust devils can be seen in the left and center background of image. The video, which has been enhanced in order to show maximal detail, was speeded up 30 times. It is composed of 21 frames taken about 6 seconds apart. A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith. NASA's Mars Sample Return Program, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), is designed to send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis. The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program (MEP) portfolio and the agency's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Animation available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA26528