Cape Canaveral, Florida – What does a dust devil look like on Mars? A NASA all-terrain vehicle’s microphone was triggered when a whirlwind of red dust passed directly above it, recording the sound.
Not only did the 10-second recording capture gusts of up to 25 miles per hour, but it also captured the sound of hundreds of dust particles colliding with grit. Scientists made the first sound of its kind on Tuesday.
It looks like swirls of dust on Earth, though it’s quieter because Mars’ thinner atmosphere makes sounds quieter and winds less strong, according to the researchers.
The dust devil came and went over Perseverance so quickly last year, which is why the sound lasts for a few seconds, said Naomi Murdoch of the University of Toulouse and lead author of the study published in Nature Communications.
At the same time, the parked rover’s navigation camera took pictures, while a weather observation instrument collected data.
Co-author German Martinez of the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston said Perseverance “gets it right.”
A group of Chinese scientists have discovered traces of water activity on Mars based on information collected by the Zhurong robot, according to China state television CGTN.
Dust swirls, common on Mars, have been photographed for decades, but never heard of
This was within the middle range: at least 400 feet long by 80 feet wide, and it was moving at 16 feet per second.
Murdoch, who helped build it, said the microphone picked up 308 dust signals as the vortex passed close to the vehicle.
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