WATCH: What does a solar eclipse on Mars look like

NASA's Perseverance rover captured a solar eclipse on Mars, featuring the moon Phobos moving in front of the Sun.


News Desk October 21, 2024
Photo: FILE

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover has captured dramatic footage of Mars' moon Phobos, showcasing a solar eclipse on the planet.

In the footage, Phobos appears to move in front of the Sun, creating a solar eclipse.

These observations could help scientists better understand the moon's orbit around Mars and how its gravity influences the planet's crust and mantle formation.

On the 397th day of its mission, Perseverance recorded the solar eclipse using its Mastcam-Z camera, which lasted just over 40 seconds.

This solar eclipse was significantly smaller than those visible from Earth, as Phobos is approximately 157 times smaller than Earth’s moon. Additionally, it is even smaller than Mars' other moon, Deimos.

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