Mars Dust Devil Photobombs NASA Rover's Photo of Its Tracks
NASA's Opportunity rover landed on Mars in 2004.
— -- This may be one of the coolest photos NASA's Mars Opportunity rover has ever sent back to Earth.
Perched on a high ridge, Opportunity snapped a stunning photo showing a dust devil whirling in the distance. The rover's tracks are visible from its climb up a steep ridge.
Dust devils are common on Mars but are a rare sight for Opportunity, according to NASA. The tiny twisters form the same way they do on Earth. A rising, rotating column of hot "air" moving fast enough will pick up dust from the ground, making the vortex visible.
The solar-powered Mars rover was initially expected to last just three months when it landed on Mars in 2004. NASA credited Opportunity's surprising longevity -- 48 times longer than planned -- to choosing north-facing slopes in the winter that allow Opportunity's solar panels to collect energy.
Opportunity has spent the past few years exploring a 14-mile-wide crater named Endeavour, where it has used its rock abrasion tool to remove surface crust from a rock NASA named "Private John Potts" after a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition's Corps of Discovery.