Perseverance captured the silhouette of Phobos, one of Mars’ two moons, crossing the solar disk in a fresh passthrough video from Jezero Crater.
This image of Phobos in front of the sun was taken by Perseverance’s Mastcam-Z camera on August 12, 2026. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU / MSSS / SSI.
Phobos, the larger and innermost of Mars’ two moons, was discovered by American astronomer Asaph Hall on August 17, 1877.
The moon is approximately 26 x 22 x 18 km (16.2 x 13.7 x 11.2 miles) and has a very rugged appearance.
This is a rare satellite that orbits closer to the planet than any other satellite in the solar system.
Phobos orbits approximately 6,000 km (3,700 miles) from the surface of Mars, completing the orbit in just 7 hours and 39 minutes.
Because it orbits so close to the surface of Mars, the planet’s curvature would obscure its view from observers standing at Mars’ polar regions.
Its orbital period is approximately three times the rotation period of Mars, and when viewed from Mars, Phobos rises in the west and sets in the east, an unusual result for a natural satellite.
Unlike Earth’s moon, Phobos is too small and too close to the planet to completely block the sun. So the solar eclipse that Phobos causes from the surface of Mars is actually a partial passage, in which the moon’s dark potato-shaped outline slides over the solar disk instead of covering it.
“Perseverance used the Mastcam-Z camera to capture the silhouette of Phobos as it crossed in front of the sun on August 12, 2026, the 1,948th Mars day (sol) since the start of the mission,” Perseverance team members said in a statement.
“This animation is colored to simulate what it would look like if a human were to observe the solar transit through eclipse safety glasses from the surface of Mars.”
This is not the first time Perseverance has observed this phenomenon. The spacecraft has recorded several passes by Phobos since landing in Jezero Crater in February 2021.
“By comparing different records, scientists can improve our understanding of the potato-shaped moon’s orbit and learn how the satellite is changing,” the researchers said.
“Long from now, Phobos’ orbit is expected to eventually send the moon toward the surface of Mars.”
Source: www.sci.news
