A Martian Eclipse. Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, ASU MSSS, SSI
Something is passing in front of the Sun. It looks like a moon, but it isn’t Earth’s Moon because it’s not perfectly round. It’s Phobos, one of Mars’ two moons.
This video was captured on the Martian surface in 2022 by NASA’s Perseverance Rover. Phobos is only about 11.5 kilometers (7 miles) wide, around 150 times smaller in diameter than Earth’s Moon, but it orbits much closer to Mars, making it appear large enough to partially block the Sun.
A Martian Eclipse. Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, ASU MSSS, SSI
Phobos circles Mars so closely that scientists believe it will eventually break apart and crash into the planet within the next 50 million years.
Because of its low orbit, eclipses caused by Phobos happen much faster than those seen on Earth. The video is shown in real time, the entire transit across the Sun lasted only about 40 seconds.
Meanwhile, Perseverance continues exploring Jezero Crater, searching for signs of Mars’ ancient watery past and possible evidence of microbial life that may have existed billions of years ago.
source APOD
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