United States - November 26, 2025 Mars – NASA’s Perseverance rover has confirmed that dust devils on the Red Planet generate electrical sparks and mini-sonic booms, documenting the phenomenon through its SuperCam microphone and electromagnetic sensors. The rover recorded electrical discharges and shock waves as dust devils passed nearby, verifying a long-suspected process. The findings were published on November 26 in the journal Nature. Dust devils form when warm air near the Martian surface rises into cooler air above, drawing in surrounding air that begins to rotate. As the air climbs into the spinning column, it speeds up and lifts dust, creating the swirling mini-twisters. Scientists had theorized for decades that friction between tiny dust grains rubbing together inside these devils could build up enough electrical charge to produce sparks. Known as the triboelectric effect, it resembles the static spark that occurs when someone walks across a carpet in socks and touches a metal surface. Perseverance has detected 55 electrical events since its 215th Martian day in 2021, with sixteen recorded as dust devils passed directly over the rover. “Triboelectric charging of sand and snow particles is well documented on Earth… but it rarely results in actual electrical discharges,” said Baptiste Chide of L’Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie. “On Mars, the thin atmosphere makes the phenomenon far more likely.” SuperCam’s microphone, built to analyze the sound of the instrument’s laser striking rocks, has also captured wind noise and the first audio of a Martian dust devil. When scientists reviewed mission data, they quickly identified the distinctive bursts of electrical activity.