The small potato-shaped moon Phobos covered part of the Sun, creating an unusual “eclipse” recorded by Perseverance.
NASA’s Perseverance rover recorded a rare cosmic phenomenon – a potato-shaped “eclipse” when Mars’ moon Phobos briefly covered the Sun.
This eclipse, captured on September 30 by Mastcam-Z, occurred on the 1285th Martian day of the mission. Phobos’ unique shape resembles a potato, making the Sun’s shadow look like a giant eye toy.
Phobos, which is only 27 km in diameter, orbits close to the surface of Mars, passing in front of the Sun about once every 7.6 hours, and the eclipse itself lasts about 30 seconds. Persistence was not the first to see this phenomenon; similar footage was taken by the Curiosity rover in 2019 and the Opportunity rover in 2004.
Phobos is one of the two moons of Mars, named after the ancient Greek god of fear, from which the name derives the term “phobia”. His “twin” Deimos is named after the god of horror from the same mythology.
It was previously reported that the ESA Mars Express spacecraft took a picture of the Red Planet’s north pole territory.
Source: korrespondent
I am Ben Stock, a passionate and experienced digital journalist working in the news industry. At the Buna Times, I write articles covering technology developments and related topics. I strive to provide reliable information that my readers can trust. My research skills are top-notch, as well as my ability to craft engaging stories on timely topics with clarity and accuracy.