Perseverance rover records another Phobos eclipse on Mars
NASA’s Perseverance rover captured a new silhouette of Phobos crossing the Sun on sol 1,948, adding to its series of moon-transit observations.
During sol 1,948 of its mission, the Perseverance rover used its Mastcam-Z camera to photograph Phobos silhouetted against the Sun, creating a simulated view as if observed from the Martian surface with protective glasses. This marks another addition to the series of Phobos transits recorded since the rover touched down in Jezero Crater in February 2021. Researchers will analyze the new data alongside earlier images to improve models of the irregularly shaped moon’s orbit and its long-term decay toward the planet.
The Mastcam-Z instrument is operated by Arizona State University in partnership with Malin Space Science Systems and the Niels Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen, which also helped develop calibration targets. Perseverance itself is built and run by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California. The findings contribute to understanding how Phobos may eventually collide with Mars.
Why it matters
The observations sharpen predictions of Phobos' orbit, informing future Mars science and potential hazard assessments.
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