Curiosity Rover Captures Images Of Blowing Dust Devils On Planet Mars (Video)

NASA's Curiosity rover is continually exploring the planet Mars during its summertime. It just captured an image of blowing dust devils spinning across the surface of the Red Planet.

Summertime in Mars is windy. Its atmosphere is truly different from the planet Earth and about 100 times thinner. This means that the winds do not blow with as much force. On the other hand, they are sufficient to blow up the Martian dust. These dust are then shaped by the Sun heating up the ground, which triggers the air to escalate, according to Fox News.

On Mars, wind rules. It’s been shaping the Red Planet for billions of years & our robotic explorers see the impacts: https://t.co/HwnI2wZnSm pic.twitter.com/XsnnCYRm2A

— NASA (@NASA) February 27, 2017

Ashwin Vasavada of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said they are keeping Curiosity busy in an area with lots of sand at a season when there is plenty of wind blowing it around. He further said that one aspect they want to learn more about is the wind's effect on sorting sand grains with the different composition. He added that this will aid them in interpreting modern dunes as well as ancient sandstones.

See the sand on Mars move under NASA's Curiosity rover - CNET: Mars' blustery summer winds push the sand around in… https://t.co/JoUCWVVBNi pic.twitter.com/fp94iAY7WK — Test The Tech (@test_the_tech) February 28, 2017

Meanwhile, another image captured by NASA showing shifting wind-blown sands on Mars. The image is part of NASA's investigation on the wind's effects during summer on the Red Planet. This is the windiest time of year in Gale Crater, which is an ancient meteor impact site, according to CNET.