Representatives of the state corporation “Roscosmos” showed giant tornadoes on Mars. The corresponding photos appeared on Saturday, February 27, on the official website of the company.
Roskosmos showed two images taken with a 45-second difference on February 27, 2019 with a CaSSIS camera on board the Trace Gas Orbiter of the Russian-European mission ExoMars-2016. The footage shows two moving dust vortices on the surface of Mars.
“Bright spots move along the bottom of a 70-kilometer crater in the southern hemisphere of Mars, leaving behind a dark streak,” explained representatives of Roscosmos. – Moving shadows of two pillars of dust are also visible. The vortex on the left side of the frame moves at a speed of about 4 meters per second, while the vortex on the right – at a speed of 8 meters per second. “
Martian tornadoes form in the same way as on Earth. When a surface becomes hotter than the air above it, currents of hot air move through the colder, denser air, creating an upward current. This allows the cold air to descend and create vertical circulation. As a result of a horizontal gust of wind, this flow spins up and, gaining sufficient speed, draws in dust and carries it over the surface.
The company emphasizes that studying tornadoes on Mars is critical in order to understand how they might have affected the planet's climate over time.
Earlier, Roskosmos published a color photo of a small Martian crater. According to the information on the website of the state corporation, the picture was taken on October 19, 2020 by a CaSSIS camera installed on board the Trace Gas Orbiter.
