Tech
A great and powerful Martian dust devil swallows another in new video
Something about this time of year on Mars is reminiscent of 1939's The Wizard of Oz.
Maybe it's the ruddiness of the planet that gives off its own natural sepia tone like we see in Victor Fleming's film adaptation. Maybe it's the tornadoes, sometimes so tall they seem like they could lift more than a few farmhouses.
But one thing's for sure about these freakish alien dust devils: You're definitely not in Kansas if you see them. More like 140 million miles over the rainbow in space.
Though scientists have long known the hazards of the wind phenomenons churning up Martian dirt, NASA's Perseverance rover, a Mini Cooper-sized lab on six wheels, just caught a rare sight: one mega dust devil devouring another. Despite how often these whirlwinds occur, interactions between them are seldom observed.
"Convective vortices — aka dust devils — can be rather fiendish," said Mark Lemmon, a Perseverance scientist at the Space Science Institute in Colorado, in a statement. "These mini twisters wander the surface of Mars, picking up dust as they go and lowering the visibility in their immediate area. If two dust devils happen upon each other, they can either obliterate one another or merge, with the stronger one consuming the weaker."
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
The video featured in the X post above, recorded on Jan. 25 at the Jezero Crater rim, shows a large dust devil — about 210 feet wide — overtaking a much smaller one, at just 16 feet across. As they collide, the weaker dust devil vanishes into the stronger one. Two other dust devils spin in the background. At the time, the rover was watching from about a half-mile away.
Dust devils on Mars form similarly to those on Earth, despite the fact that Mars' atmosphere is much thinner. They tend to happen on dry days when the ground gets hotter than the surrounding area. Typically smaller than tornadoes, dust devils are whirlwinds that make a funnel-like chimney, channeling hot air up and around. The rotating wind then accelerates similar to the way spinning ice skaters move faster as they bring their arms closer to their bodies.
This Martian phenomenon leaves tracks — straight lines, curves, and curlicues — wherever it has traveled. Their color is a result of picking up the light dust that coats virtually all of the Red Planet and exposing layers of dark volcanic rocks.
Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / UA
The latest footage provides new insight into how these swirling columns of wind and dust interact with each other and the Martian atmosphere. Roughly half of the planet’s airborne dust is thought to come from them.
"Dust devils play a significant role in Martian weather patterns," said Katie Stack Morgan, a Perseverance project scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in a statement. "Dust devil study is important because these phenomena indicate atmospheric conditions, such as prevailing wind directions and speed."
Taking a picture of a dust devil isn’t easy. Unlike hurricanes or thunderstorms on Earth, this kind of foul weather shows up without warning. Perseverance regularly scans the landscape for them on the off-chance it might catch one in action. Scientists study the rover's images for trends, such as what time of day dust devils tend to be more active and where they come from.
NASA’s Viking orbiters were the first spacecraft to photograph the dust devils in the 1970s. Two decades later, the Pathfinder lander captured one from the ground and even detected a dust devil passing over it. Since then, a handful of other robots have observed the phenomena, with Perseverance recording the first audio of a whirlwind in 2021.
In the rover's latest video, the life of the slighter dust devil is abruptly cut short by a superior twister. But one probably didn't outlive the other by much, Lemmon said. Martian dust devils only last about 10 minutes.
TL;DR: Is your PC in need of a good reboot? Give it a whole new set of tools with a license for Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 for Windows, now $29.97 (reg. $229) through April 27.
We all need a makeover every now and then. If your trusty PC could use a revamp, a license for Microsoft Office is an affordable way to make it feel new again.
Rediscover Microsoft Office classics and get acquainted with new favorites thanks to this Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 license for Windows. It's now just $29.97, $200 off the usual price, now through April 27.
Revamp your PC with these Microsoft staples
Give your old PC a new lease on life with this fleet of Microsoft Office apps. They're great for work, play, and everything in between, and you're probably already familiar with half of them.
This Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 license gives you lifetime access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access.
Don't let the older edition give you pause — it's a cost-effective way to outfit your computer with a whole new set of tools. You only pay once, unlike the monthly subscription fees that Office365 requires. It also allows you to work offline if needed since you don't have to rely on the cloud like more modern versions.
After purchase, you'll receive an instant delivery of the software license keys and download links to get everything up and running immediately. It's compatible with Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019, which makes it an awesome option if you're not running Windows 11 yet.
Enjoy the Microsoft Office apps for life with this Windows license to Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019, now just $29.97 (reg. $229) through April 27.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Opens in a new window
Opens in a new window
Refurbished Apple MacBook Pro (2.6GHz Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)
$2,399
Save $1,909.01
Have you been in the market for a MacBook? You'd likely laugh if we told you that you could score a MacBook Pro, Apple's top-rated laptop, for less than $500. Don't believe us? It's possible to pay a fraction of the retail price for your own MacBook, at least if you shop refurbished.
This refurbished 2019 Apple MacBook Pro (2.6GHz Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) makes it possible for you to save over $1,900 on the retail price (and score now-discontinued features like the Touch Bar). Instead of going to the Apple Store and paying $2,399, you could pay only $489.99 for this model. The only catch? This was a pre-loved model — though it arrives in near-mint condition — and supplies are limited.
Check out what this MacBook Pro arrives with for your daily computing:
-
16-inch Retina display with True Tone technology and AMD Radeon Pro 5300M GPU: The screen delivers vibrant colors and sharp details, whether you're scrolling through websites or watching YouTube videos.
-
2.6 Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB of RAM: For multitasking, running intense programs like Adobe editing software, and keeping your 20+ Chrome (or Safari) tabs open without any lag.
-
512GB SSD: For easy local storage of apps, files, photos, and other media, as well as speedy boot times.
-
Up to 11 hours of browsing and video playback, meaning you can stay productive and entertained without having to stay close to an outlet.
-
Six-speaker sound system: Comes with force-canceling woofers for pro- and studio-quality audio for your Netflix streams and other projects.
-
The infamous Touch Bar: This MacBook Pro arrives with the Touch Bar (which Apple discontinued in 2021). This touchscreen strip changes depending on the apps you have open, and control buttons include volume, text tools, a color picker, or fast forward and rewind buttons.
-
Touch ID: For secure and simple fingerprint log-ins into your device, social media accounts, etc.
Don't wait too long to grab this 2019 MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar, now $489.99 — hurry, inventory is selling out.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
TL;DR: Replace your monthly Dropbox subscription with a 10TB Internxt Cloud Storage Lifetime Plan on sale for $279.99 with code STORAGE20.
Opens in a new window
Internxt Cloud Storage Lifetime Subscription: 10TB Plan
$2,999
Save $2,719.01
Cloud storage subscriptions are expensive, even if they don't seem like it at first. Dropbox's cheapest plan is $9.99 per month for 2TB of cloud storage. It seems cheap, but that's a little under $120 every year, and you're never actually done paying for it.
If you want a cheaper alternative to Dropbox, Internxt just dropped the price for a 10TB cloud storage lifetime subscription. Now it's only $279.99 with code STORAGE20.
Pay once for a lifetime of cloud storage
Space isn't the only thing this cloud storage has going for it. Internxt is committed to keeping your data safe. That's why they use end-to-end encryption to secure files during transfer and at rest. Its zero-knowledge architecture means that files are encrypted in a way that Internxt itself cannot access. You're the only one who has access to your files.
You don't even have to manually upload. You can sync all your files and photos across platforms, even Linux. This focus on privacy even extends to its open-source design, so users can inspect the code for transparency and security.
This subscription lasts for life with no recurring payments of any kind. You can access your cloud storage on unlimited devices, too.
Use code STORAGE20 by April 27 at 11:59 p.m. PT to get an Internxt 10TB Cloud Storage Lifetime Subscription on sale for $279.99.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Get lifetime Microsoft Office access for less than $5 an app
British Police Charge Russell Brand With Rape and Sexual Assault
ALIVE: Pope Francis Makes Surprise First Public Appearance During Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square After Long Hospital Stay
Are You an RSSMasher?
DOGE-ing toward the best Department of Defense ever
Toxic RINO Susan Collins Is a “NO” on Kash Patel, Trashes Him Ahead of Confirmation Vote
-
Tech2 months agoAre You an RSSMasher?
-
Politics1 month agoDOGE-ing toward the best Department of Defense ever
-
Politics1 month agoToxic RINO Susan Collins Is a “NO” on Kash Patel, Trashes Him Ahead of Confirmation Vote
-
Tech1 month agoEvery potential TikTok buyer we know about
-
Tech1 month ago
iOS 18.4 developer beta released — heres what you can expect
-
Politics1 month agoAfter Targeting Chuck Schumer, Acting DC US Attorney Ed Martin Expands ‘Operation Whirlwind’ to Investigate Democrat Rep. Robert Garcia for Calling for “Actual Weapons” Against Elon Musk
-
Politics1 month agoVigilant Fox: Infamous Dr. Deborah Birx Makes Two Shocking COVID Admissions
-
Tech1 month agoWant one of our $230 MacBooks? They’re almost gone…