Search

Mars Dust Devils May Spark Lightning, Might Pose Risks to Rovers: Study

Martian dust devils may spark with electricity, potentially zapping rovers. New models show that charged dust could interfere with solar panels and comms systems.

Advertisement
Highlights
  • Martian dust devils may create lightning-like electric discharges
  • Charged dust can block sunlight and disrupt rover communications
  • Study suggests rovers need protection from static and dust buildup
Mars Dust Devils May Spark Lightning, Might Pose Risks to Rovers: Study

dust devils form when the Sun heats Mars’s surface, causing warm air to rise and spin into vortices

Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Dust devils on Mars – swirling columns of dust and air that often scour the Red Planet's surface – may be crackling with electricity, a new computer-modeling study suggests. Researchers led by Varun Sheel simulated how Mars's dry atmosphere and frictional dust collisions charge up grains inside a vortex. They found these fields could grow so strong that brief lightning-like discharges might occur. This electrification is a concern for surface missions, since charged dust could cling to rover wheels, solar panels and antennas, blocking sunlight and interfering with communications.

Formation and Features of Martian Dust Devils

According to the study, dust devils form when the Sun heats Mars's surface, causing warm air to rise and spin into vortices. Colder air rushes inward along the ground, stretching the rising column upward and whipping dust high into the sky. Because Mars has lower gravity and a thinner atmosphere than Earth, its dust devils can tower much higher, three times larger than storms on Earth. NASA's Viking mission first detected Martian dust devils; later rovers like Curiosity and Perseverance have filmed them sweeping across the dusty plains. These whirlwinds clean off solar panels – as happened with Spirit in 2005 – but more often they stir up fine dust that can coat instruments.

Electrification and Risks to Rovers

Dust grains in Martian whirlwinds can pick up charge through collisions (a triboelectric effect). Sheel's models predict that this charge separation can create strong electric fields inside a dust devil. These fields could even exceed Mars's atmospheric breakdown threshold (around 25 kV/m), enough to spark lightning in the vortex. NASA's Perseverance rover recorded what appears to be a small triboelectric discharge when a dust devil passed overhead.

Even without lightning, any static buildup is problematic. As planetary scientist Yoav Yair notes, “Electrified dust will adhere to conducting surfaces such as wheels, solar panels and antennas,” potentially reducing sunlight reaching panels and jamming communications. Rovers may need new design features or procedures to handle this unusual Martian weather.

 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

 
Show Full Article
Please wait...
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. OnePlus Pad Lite Launched in India With 11-Inch Display, 9,340mAh Battery
  2. CMF Watch 3 Pro Launched With Up to 13 Days Battery Life: Price, Features
  3. Redmi to Launch Two New Smartphones in India by July 24
  4. Moto G86 Power India Launch Date Confirmed: Check Features, Colour Options
  5. Alibaba's Qwen Team Releases New Coding AI Model With Agentic Capabilities
  6. Realme 15 5G Series: From Price to Features, Everything We Know So Far
  7. Vivo X200 FE Now Available for Purchase in India: See Price and Offers
  8. iOS 26 Beta 4 for iPhone Rolls Out With Liquid Glass Changes and More
  9. Lava Blaze Dragon 5G Price Range, Features Revealed Before Launch in India
  10. Nothing May Launch Budget-Friendly 'Lite' or 'T' Branded Smartphones
  1. Samsung Galaxy A17 5G Support Page Live in India; Galaxy A07 Spotted on Geekbench
  2. Bryan Johnson Says AI Will Help Him Live Forever by Moving from a Biological to Computational System: Report
  3. Google I/O Connect: Google Play X Unity Game Developer Training Programme Announced in India
  4. Threads Adds Improved Insights Features for Content Creators: All Details
  5. Apple's Foldable iPhone to Sport Smaller Displays Than Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Report
  6. Alibaba Qwen 3 Coder Open-Source AI Model Introduced With Agentic Capabilities
  7. Nothing Tipped to Launch Budget-Friendly 'Lite' or 'T' Branded Smartphones
  8. Battlefield 6 Will be Revealed This Week, EA Confirms
  9. OnePlus 12 Receives OxygenOS 15.0.0.840 Update With Save to Mind Space Feature, New Camera Filter and More
  10. Razer Cobra HyperSpeed Wireless Mouse Launched in India With Lightweight Design: Price, Specifications
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »