Tech
A great and powerful Martian dust devil swallows another in new video
Something about this time of year on Mars is reminiscent of 1939's The Wizard of Oz.
Maybe it's the ruddiness of the planet that gives off its own natural sepia tone like we see in Victor Fleming's film adaptation. Maybe it's the tornadoes, sometimes so tall they seem like they could lift more than a few farmhouses.
But one thing's for sure about these freakish alien dust devils: You're definitely not in Kansas if you see them. More like 140 million miles over the rainbow in space.
Though scientists have long known the hazards of the wind phenomenons churning up Martian dirt, NASA's Perseverance rover, a Mini Cooper-sized lab on six wheels, just caught a rare sight: one mega dust devil devouring another. Despite how often these whirlwinds occur, interactions between them are seldom observed.
"Convective vortices — aka dust devils — can be rather fiendish," said Mark Lemmon, a Perseverance scientist at the Space Science Institute in Colorado, in a statement. "These mini twisters wander the surface of Mars, picking up dust as they go and lowering the visibility in their immediate area. If two dust devils happen upon each other, they can either obliterate one another or merge, with the stronger one consuming the weaker."
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The video featured in the X post above, recorded on Jan. 25 at the Jezero Crater rim, shows a large dust devil — about 210 feet wide — overtaking a much smaller one, at just 16 feet across. As they collide, the weaker dust devil vanishes into the stronger one. Two other dust devils spin in the background. At the time, the rover was watching from about a half-mile away.
Dust devils on Mars form similarly to those on Earth, despite the fact that Mars' atmosphere is much thinner. They tend to happen on dry days when the ground gets hotter than the surrounding area. Typically smaller than tornadoes, dust devils are whirlwinds that make a funnel-like chimney, channeling hot air up and around. The rotating wind then accelerates similar to the way spinning ice skaters move faster as they bring their arms closer to their bodies.
This Martian phenomenon leaves tracks — straight lines, curves, and curlicues — wherever it has traveled. Their color is a result of picking up the light dust that coats virtually all of the Red Planet and exposing layers of dark volcanic rocks.
Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / UA
The latest footage provides new insight into how these swirling columns of wind and dust interact with each other and the Martian atmosphere. Roughly half of the planet’s airborne dust is thought to come from them.
"Dust devils play a significant role in Martian weather patterns," said Katie Stack Morgan, a Perseverance project scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in a statement. "Dust devil study is important because these phenomena indicate atmospheric conditions, such as prevailing wind directions and speed."
Taking a picture of a dust devil isn’t easy. Unlike hurricanes or thunderstorms on Earth, this kind of foul weather shows up without warning. Perseverance regularly scans the landscape for them on the off-chance it might catch one in action. Scientists study the rover's images for trends, such as what time of day dust devils tend to be more active and where they come from.
NASA’s Viking orbiters were the first spacecraft to photograph the dust devils in the 1970s. Two decades later, the Pathfinder lander captured one from the ground and even detected a dust devil passing over it. Since then, a handful of other robots have observed the phenomena, with Perseverance recording the first audio of a whirlwind in 2021.
In the rover's latest video, the life of the slighter dust devil is abruptly cut short by a superior twister. But one probably didn't outlive the other by much, Lemmon said. Martian dust devils only last about 10 minutes.
Taylor Swift's upcoming studio album The Life of a Showgirl probably wasn't the muse for Apple's new Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, as many Swifties theorized. But it did inspire a new case for those handsets.
The popular mobile accessories brand OtterBox has launched a new limited-edition phone case called the Encore, a $60 entry in its slim Symmetry Series with a distinct glittery orange design. Its moniker and product details don't directly name-drop Swift or TLOAS, but the Easter eggs are in screaming color (quite literally).
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"Symmetry Series Clear Encore is a new era in case aesthetics, standing center stage with brilliant sparkles and high energy," reads its description on OtterBox's website. The first bullet point on its feature list hails it as "the case of the year to match the album of the year."
For added context, the internet has been awash in tangerine ever since Swift announced TLOAS in mid-August. The Cruel Summer singer, 35, assigns a different color scheme to each of her album eras — a tone-setter that doubles as a clever marketing tool, experts told Billboard. She's claimed bright orange for her Showgirl era, and its main vinyl variant is pressed in Portofino Orange Glitter.
Even more incriminatingly, though, a press image poses the Encore next to sparkly showgirl-apt accessories and two of Taylor's classic calling cards: friendship bracelet beads, a lyrical reference that evolved into an Eras Tour tradition; and (ding ding ding!) a tube of red lipstick. A promo video for it also features a song that sounds identical to "Shake it Off" instrumentals. The only way the Encore could get even Swiftier is if people try to flip it for thousands of dollars.
As an OtterBox Symmetry Series case, the Encore features a scratch-resistant polycarbonate shell with raised edges that protect the phone's screen and camera from drop damage. It's not as durable as the brand's Commuter, Sole, and Defender Series cases, but it's a tad tougher than its entry-level Profile styles. It comes with built-in magnets to support wireless charging and compatible accessories (like MagSafe grips, stands, and wallets).
The Encore is priced at $59.99 and up for preorder exclusively on OtterBox's website, where a 25% discount is available for shoppers who bundle it with a screen protector or power accessory. It's available for the new iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, 16, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max, 15, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra. (Versions for the iPhone 16e, iPhone 15, iPhone 14, and iPhone 13 are coming soon.) All in-stock variants were estimated to ship on Saturday, Oct. 18, at the time of writing.
The Life of a Showgirl itself comes out on Friday, Oct. 3, and you can preorder it through Target or Swift's online store.
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"The Life of a Showgirl" Sweat and Vanilla Perfume Portofino Orange Glitter Vinyl
at TaylorSwift.com
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In perhaps the most out-of-touch statement since Lucille Bluth priced bananas, Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino — the boss of the company that runs Ticketmaster — said that, actually, concert tickets are too cheap. I'd like to see him tell that to literally any non-millionaire American who's tried to see their favorite artist.
The comments from Rapino came this week while speaking at CNBC and Boardroom’s Game Plan conference. They quickly circulated online and, frankly, I thought they had to be fake. As a CEO, it's the kind of thing you might think, but probably not something you say out loud.
And if you think we're stripping out some crucial context, think again — the executive was pretty clear in his assessment. For full context, the comments came as Rapino noted that the most expensive sports tickets go for wildly high prices compared to concerts.
"Music has been under-appreciated," Rapino said, according to Vice. "In sports, I joke it's like a badge of honor to spend 70 grand for a Knicks courtside [seat]. They beat me up if we charge $800 for Beyoncé."
He argued that concerts — especially those from the biggest stars — are now more complex productions and should come with higher price tags.
He even said that there's plenty of room for concert tickets to get even more expensive.
"We have a lot of runway left," Rapino said, via Rolling Stone. "So when you read about ticket prices going up, the average concert price is still $72. Try going to a Laker game for that, and there's 80 of them. The concert is underpriced and has been for a long time."
Let's, for a moment, forget that someone paying $70,000 to attend a basketball game is already ridiculous — a gross display of conspicuous consumption, and, in practice, a fee for sitting close to athletes, TV cameras, and celebrities with comped tickets. Sports games are higher priced — and remain the crown jewel of televised events — because they are one-off events with an undetermined outcome. Yes, there are 82 regular-season Laker games, but no one is like the other. You're paying for exclusive access to a thing that will never be repeated.
A concert, meanwhile, is, by its nature, much like the night before and the night after. It's also not totally dissimilar to what you'll find on Spotify. I'm saying this as someone who goes to way more shows than sports games. Buying entry to a concert or show is my primary ticket-buying experience. And, in my experience, prices are really freaking high.
On average, a ticket to Taylor Swift's Eras Tour cost $3,071 in Indianapolis, the capital of a state with a median income of $71,959. The price of a single ticket was double the average monthly rent in the city. That surely cannot be considered "underpriced."
In case you were wondering, Rapino's total compensation last year was $33 million, which was a jump from the measly $23.4 million the year prior and a big dip from $139 million in total comp — yes, you read that right — in 2022.
As consumers, we've all come to expect paying high prices — and excessive Ticketmaster fees — to go see our favorite artists. And we know that arrow is only pointing in one direction going forward. But next time you pull out your credit card to shell out hundreds of bucks — thousands, maybe — to see your favorite musician, you can at least take solace in knowing the Ticketmaster boss thinks you got a great deal.
This story reflects the author's opinion.
If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.
There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.
An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.
If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.
Hurdle Word 1 hint
To creep around.
Hurdle Word 1 answer
SNEAK
Hurdle Word 2 hint
A long-legged bird.
Hurdle Word 2 Answer
STORK
Hurdle Word 3 hint
To throw.
Hurdle Word 3 answer
CHUCK
Hurdle Word 4 hint
More accurate.
Hurdle Word 4 answer
TRUER
Final Hurdle hint
They show when one smiles.
Hurdle Word 5 answer
TEETH
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
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