© Stan Celestian

near Glendale, Arizona, United States of America

Latitude: 33° 33' 34'' N

Longitude: 112° 22' 44'' W

04 July 2004 1550 (Local Time)

Image P/S code: P.12.2.3

Image I.D.: 5434

• Images & related info Other Images Images of 1987 edition
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  Dust whirl (dust devil)

  A dust devil (dust whirl or sand whirl) is an ensemble of particles of dust or sand, sometimes accompanied by small litter, raised from the ground in the form of a whirling column about an approximately vertical axis. Dust devils occur when the air near the ground is very unstable, such as when the soil is strongly heated by the Sun. 

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  © Stan Celestian
  near Glendale, Arizona, United States of America
  Latitude: 33° 33' 34'' N
  Longitude: 112° 22' 44'' W
  04 July 2004 1550 (Local Time)
  
  
  Image P/S code: P.12.2.3
  Image I.D.: 5434
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  Dust whirls (dust devils) and mirage

  Dust whirls (dust devils) occur when the air near the ground is very unstable, such as when the soil is strongly heated by the Sun. The same conditions are also conducive to the appearance of an inferior mirage, as seen in this photograph taken over the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, USA.

  A dust whirl or sand whirl (dust devil)is an ensemble of particles of dust or sand, sometimes accompanied by small litter, raised from the ground in the form of a whirling column of varying height with a small diameter and an approximately vertical axis.

  Mirages are an optical phenomenon caused by the curving of light rays passing through layers of air with changing refractive index due to differences in temperature and density. In an inferior mirage, the image of a distant object is displaced downwards. Note the inverted image of part of the hillside here. 

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  © Steve Jurvetson
  Gerlach, Nevada, United States of America
  Latitude: 40° 39' 20'' N
  Longitude: 119° 37' 24'' W
  21 July 2007 1415 (Local Time)
  
  
  Image P/S code: S.12.2.3
  Image I.D.: 5433
• 

  Dust whirl (dust devil)

  A dust devil (dust whirl or sand whirl) is an ensemble of particles of dust or sand, sometimes accompanied by small litter, raised from the ground in the form of a whirling column about an approximately vertical axis. 

  Links in the image description will highlight features on the image. Mouse over the features for more detail.

  © Henri Bergius
  Nakuru County, Kenya
  Latitude: 0° 21' 36'' S
  Longitude: 36° 2' 49'' E
  24 December 2010 0950 (Local Time)
  
  
  Image P/S code: S.12.2.3
  Image I.D.: 5601
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  Dust devil

  This dust devil developed over barren fields during the dry season, and was moving towards the left of the picture. The rotating dust column is well-defined at the base but gradually weakens upwards until it nearly disappears at 2. The dust devil had formed under cloudless conditions with strong instability from intense surface heating. The instability decreased with height. Outside the rotating column a mass of dust at 3, 4 is raised nearly as high as the dust devil.

  The photograph was taken about 120 kilometres ahead of a cold front which was advancing southwards from the Gulf of Mexico.

  Links in the image description will highlight features on the image. Mouse over the features for more detail.

  © J. de Keijzer
  El Limón, Veracruz, Mexico
  Latitude: 20° 50' 12'' N
  Longitude: 98° 2' 60'' W
  25 March 1977 1525 (Local Time)
  
  
  Camera direction: towards NW
  C_L = /, C_M = /, C_H = /