NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has recently captured stunning footage of a solar eclipse on Mars, showcasing the planet’s moon, Phobos, moving in front of the Sun. This remarkable event, recorded on the 397th day of Perseverance’s mission using its Mastcam-Z camera, lasted just over 40 seconds.
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The observations from this solar eclipse could provide valuable insights into Phobos’ orbit around Mars and its gravitational effects on the planet’s crust and mantle formation. Notably, this eclipse was significantly smaller than those visible from Earth, as Phobos is approximately 157 times smaller than Earth’s moon. In fact, it is even smaller than Mars’ other moon, Deimos.
This event highlights the unique celestial dynamics of the Martian system, offering scientists an opportunity to deepen their understanding of both the moon and the planet it orbits.
