NASA’s Perseverance rover recently recorded this
“Eye spy” a Martian moon passing in front of the Sun, creating a spooky sight as seen by NASA’s Perseverance rover on the Red Planet.
NASA’s Mars rover in the Jezero crater recorded this partial eclipse of the Sun by the Martian moon Phobos on Sept. 30, also known as the 1,285th Martian day of the robotic mission. As the potato-shaped moon passed in front of the Sun, it created the appearance of a “googly eye.”
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Mars moon Phobos transiting in front of the Sun as seen by NASA’s Perseverance rover.
(NASA)
According to NASA, this partial eclipse from Phobos is visible on Mars several times in a Martian year. Perseverance has seen several of these transits since landing on Mars in 2021.
The moon Phobos is only about 17 miles across and orbits the Martian equator in about 7.6 hours. From the rover’s perspective, the transit in front of the Sun only lasts about 30 seconds or more.
By observing Phobos through robotic missions, scientists can better understand how Phobos is changing.
NASA said the moon is getting closer to Mars every year and will eventually collide with the Red Planet, but not for another 50 million years.