On sol 1120 (February 26, 2007), the navigation camera aboard NASA's Mars
Exploration Rover Spirit captured one of the best dust devils it's seen in
its three-plus year mission. The series of navigation camera images were
put together to make a dust devil movie.
The dust devil column is clearly defined and is clearly bent in the down
wind direction. Near the end of the movie, the base of the dust devil
becomes much wider. The atmospheric science team thinks that this is
because the dust devil encountered some sand and therefore produced a
"saltation skirt," an apron of material that is thrown out of the dust
devil because it is too large to be carried up into suspension.
Also near the end of the movie the dust devil seems to move faster across
the surface. This is because Spirit began taking pictures less frequently,
and not because the dust devil sped up.