2 / 6IMAGE SOURCE: NASA/JPL-CALTECH/CORNELLMars's dust storms have often been referred to in pop culture and works of fiction, but what is generally not known is that these storms can grow to enormous proportions, sometimes circling the planet itself.
These planetary-scale storms, which occur every 5.5 Earth years (roughly three Martian years) according to NASA, can kick up unimaginably massive plumes of dust, blocking 99% of the sunlight hitting the Red Planet and making surface temperatures plummet.
Interestingly, humankind has already had one fateful encounter with such a storm.
Opportunity's fate serves as a reminder that these storms are not to be trifled with: a single global Martian storm could trigger a fatal power-grid collapse in future solar-reliant human colonies.
The image shows a vista of Victoria Crater taken by NASA's Opportunity rover.
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IMAGE SOURCE: NASA/JPL-CALTECH/CORNELL
Mars's dust storms have often been referred to in pop culture and works of fiction, but what is generally not known is that these storms can grow to enormous proportions, sometimes circling the planet itself. These planetary-scale storms, which occur every 5.5 Earth years (roughly three Martian years) according to NASA, can kick up unimaginably massive plumes of dust, blocking 99% of the sunlight hitting the Red Planet and making surface temperatures plummet.
Interestingly, humankind has already had one fateful encounter with such a storm. After over 14 years of service, NASA's Opportunity rover saw its life snuffed out by one of these planetary Martian storms in 2018, which blocked out sunlight and prevented the solar-powered robot from recharging its batteries or keeping its critical electronics warm. Opportunity's fate serves as a reminder that these storms are not to be trifled with: a single global Martian storm could trigger a fatal power-grid collapse in future solar-reliant human colonies.
The image shows a vista of Victoria Crater taken by NASA's Opportunity rover.
