Twisting through the valley is a Martian dust devil, spotted by our Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity from its perch high on a ridge. The view looks back at the rover's tracks leading up the north-facing slope. Dust devils were a common sight for Opportunity's twin rover, Spirit, in its outpost at Gusev Crater. Dust devils have been an uncommon sight for Opportunity, though. Just as on Earth, a dust devil is created by a rising, rotating column of hot air. When the column whirls fast enough, it picks up tiny grains of dust from the ground, making the vortex visible.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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