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NASA’s Perseverance rover utilized its Left Mastcam-Z cam to catch a Martian solar eclipse on Sept. 30, 2024( Sol 1285 ); the overview of Mars’ moon Phobos is plainly noticeable in front of the sun’s disk.
(Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU)
Even Mars rovers like to go after solar eclipses.
On Sept. 30, NASA’s Perseverance rover turned its Left Mastcam-Z electronic camera towards the sky and photographed a solar eclipse from Marscatching the world’s moon Phobos partly obstructing the sun’s disk.
In the series of pictures, you can noticeably see the shape of Phobos, which looks like a bumpy potato. Phobos, which is the bigger of Mars’2 small moons, isn’t round like our own moon — or numerous moons in our planetary systemfor that matter– however rather irregular like an asteroid.
Phobos starts crossing the solar disk throughout the eclipse of Sept. 30, 2024. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU)
Determining approximately 17 miles by 14 miles by 11 miles(27 by 22 by 18 kilometers), this Phobos orbits Mars at an extremely close range– simply 3,700 miles(6,000 km). By contrast, our moon circles at a typical range of 238,855 miles (384,400 km)from Earth. And Phobos is a quick mover, finishing 3 orbits of Mars in a single day.
Related: NASA’s Perseverance rover might currently have actually discovered indications of life on Mars, discovery of ancient lake sediments exposes
While Phobos may appear like an asteroid, it most likely isn’t one. The origin of Phobos is one of the moon’s greatest secrets. Some researchers have actually dismissed Phobos as a recorded asteroid for one primary factor– its orbit around Mars is almost ideal. If Mars’ gravitational pull had actually snagged a passing asteroid, the abducted things likely would have an irregular orbit.
Present theories about the origin of Phobos and its buddy moon, Deimos, focus on some kind of accretion, whether that’s from remaining product as Mars formed or from a catastrophic crash in between the Red Planet and another heavenly body.
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Neither Phobos nor its buddy moon, Deimos, can entirely shut out the sun from the viewpoint of an audience on the Martian surface area. Rovers can just ever seen partial eclipses. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU)
Determination’s current picture series of Phobos isn’t the very first time the rover has actually imaged a solar eclipse; it likewise photographed the oval moon transiting the sun in April 2022 and February 2024
And, in truth, Perseverance wasn’t even the very first rover to image such an occasion. NASA’s twin Spirit and Opportunity rovers observed Phobos solar transits in 2004, while Curiosity taped the very first video of one in 2019See? Rovers truly do like going after solar eclipses!
Initially published on Space.com
Space.com contributing author Stefanie Waldek is a self-taught area geek and air travel geek who is enthusiastic about all things spaceflight and astronomy. With a background in travel and style journalism, in addition to a Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University, she focuses on the budding area tourist market and Earth-based astrotourism. In her spare time, you can discover her seeing rocket launches or searching for at the stars, questioning what is out there. Discover more about her work at www.stefaniewaldek.com.
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