"Dust Devil" creates a small-scale, dust-filled tornado similar to natural dust devils, spinning, low-pressure vortices that draw up dust from the ground they travel over.  Dust devils are common on Earth, particularly in deserts and other regions relatively free of obstructions. 

Main image: The long shadows cast by dust devils on the surface of the planet Mars (photo credit: NASA)   Inset image: The artwork "Dust Devil"

How It Works:  A vortex forming in a 1-foot diameter cylinder filled with fluid sweeps up fine particles of copper into a swirling dust devil.  Visitors can turn a knob to activate the vortex and watch it move over the landscape.  By stopping the vortex, people can observe the particles slowly drifting and settling out of the solution just as real dust particles are swept into the atmosphere by dust devils.