NASA's Mars Perseverance's snaps new selfie with a Martian dust devil

The latest selfie by NASA's Mars Perseverance rover has captured an unexpected guest: a Martian particulate devil.

Resembling a tiny airy puff, the twirling particulate devil popped up 3 miles down the rover during this month's photograph shoot. Dust devils, a operation of aerial and dust, are communal connected Mars.

Released Wednesday, the selfie is simply a composite of 59 images taken by the camera connected the extremity of the rover's robotic arm, according to NASA.

This representation provided by NASA shows Perseverance taking a selfie connected May 10, 2025.  NASA via AP

It took an hr to execute each the limb movements indispensable to stitchery the images, "but it's worthy it," said Megan Wu, an imaging idiosyncratic from Malin Space Science Systems, which built the camera.

"Having the particulate devil successful the inheritance makes it a classic," Wu said successful a statement.

The representation — which besides shows the rover's latest illustration borehole connected the aboveground — marks 1,500 sols, oregon Martian days, for Perseverance. That's equivalent to 1,541 days connected Earth.

Perseverance is covered with reddish dust, the effect of drilling into dozens of rocks. Perseverance, which landed connected Mars successful 2021, is collecting samples for an eventual return to Earth from Jezero Crater, an past lakebed and stream delta that could clasp clues to immoderate past microbial life. 

Last month, released images showed a Martian particulate devil consuming a smaller 1 connected the aboveground of the reddish planet.

In:
• Perseverance Mars Rover
• Technology
• Mars
• Science
• Space
• NASA