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.
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
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.
NASA Artemis II Orion Spacecraft Prepares for Historic Crewed Moon Mission with Safety Systems Installed15 August 2025
Search
![[Sponsored] Galaxy Watch8: World's First Antioxidant Index Explained](https://c.ndtvimg.com/2025-08/ttp66dfc_watch_160x120_19_August_25.jpg?downsize=180:*)
![[Partner Content] OPPO Reno14 Series: Perfect Camera Phone for Creators Under Rs. 50,000](https://c.ndtvimg.com/2025-08/fvlllfc4_oppo-reno14-series_160x120_07_August_25.jpg?downsize=180:*)
