NASA’s Perseverance rover recently recorded a rare event on Mars, capturing Mars’ moon Phobos crossing the Sun, creating a “googly eye” effect. Positioned in Jezero Crater, the rover used its Mastcam-Z camera on September 30 to document this brief eclipse, highlighting Phobos’ fast orbit around Mars, which completes in just 7.6 hours.
This “googly eye” eclipse is a result of Phobos partially blocking the Sun’s light. The unique visual effect, which isn’t visible from Earth, adds to scientists’ understanding of Phobos’ trajectory. Due to its close orbit, Phobos is expected to spiral into Mars over the next 50 million years.
The Perseverance mission, launched under NASA’s Mars 2020 program, focuses on studying Martian geology and astrobiology. This rover’s high-resolution imagery not only aids in exploring Mars but also supports future missions aimed at bringing samples back to Earth.
