“Fiendish” Martian Dust Devils Dancing on the Red Planet Engage in Cannibalism as NASA’s Perseverance Rover Looks On | Space

It’s not every day that NASA’s Perseverance rover observes a series of objects moving across the Martian landscape. Even stranger is when one appears to consume the other right before the robotic explorer’s camera eye.

That’s just what happened earlier this year, as “Percy” watched from its position at the rim of Jezero crater as several dust devils manifested within its field of view. Suddenly, two of the nearest formations—which scientists call convective vortices—moved close to one another, with the larger of the two consuming its smaller sibling.

The rare occurrence was captured in a short video assembled by the Perseverance team from images taken with the rover’s navigation camera, which collects data about atmospheric conditions on Mars.

The Enigma of Martian Dust Devils

Comprised of fine particles of Martian dust swept up into swirling columns of air, the Martian dust devils are not uncommon features on the Red Planet. In 2023, Perseverance captured a similar display, showing one of the formations as it moved along in the distance.

However, the dust devils in NASA’s most recent video of the phenomenon are much larger than they appear. The larger of the two nearest vortexes was estimated to be close to 210 feet wide, with the smaller reaching a diameter of around 5 meters before being overtaken and “cannibalized” by…more