NASAs Perseverance Mars rover utilized its Mastcam-Z video camera to shoot video of Phobos, one of Mars two moons, eclipsing the Sun. Both of Marss moons, Phobos and Deimos, were discovered in 1877 by American astronomer Asaph Hall. Phobos, gouged and almost shattered by a giant impact crater and beaten by thousands of meteorite effects, is on a crash course with Mars. It is nearing Mars at a rate of six feet (1.8 meters) every hundred years. At this rate, it will either crash into Mars in 50 million years or break up into a ring.
NASAs Perseverance Mars rover used its Mastcam-Z electronic camera to shoot video of Phobos, one of Mars two moons, eclipsing the Sun. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/ MSSS/SSI.
NASAs Perseverance Mars rover utilized its Mastcam-Z camera system to shoot video of one of Mars 2 moons, Phobos, eclipsing the Sun. Its the most zoomed-in, highest frame-rate observation of a Phobos solar eclipse ever drawn from the Martian surface area.
” I understood it was going to be good, but I didnt expect it to be this incredible,” said Rachel Howson of Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, one of the Mastcam-Z group members who runs the cam.
A number of Mars rovers have actually observed Phobos crossing in front of the Sun over the past 18 years. Spirit and Opportunity made the very first time-lapse images of Phobos back in 2004; NASAs Curiosity rover was the very first to tape video of the event in 2019.
NASAs Perseverance Mars rover used its Mastcam-Z video camera to shoot video of Phobos, one of Mars 2 moons, eclipsing the Sun. Its the most zoomed-in, highest-frame-rate observation of a Phobos solar eclipse ever drawn from the Martian surface. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/ MSSS/SSI.
Each time these eclipses are observed, they enable researchers to determine subtle shifts in Phobos orbit over time. The moons tidal forces pull on the deep interior of the Red Planet, in addition to its crust and mantle; studying just how much Phobos shifts gradually exposes something about how resistant the crust and mantle are, and thus what type of products theyre made from.
Phobos has to do with 157 times smaller sized than Earths Moon. Mars other moon, Deimos, is even smaller sized.
Phobos imaged by HiRISE. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.
Both of Marss moons, Phobos and Deimos, were discovered in 1877 by American astronomer Asaph Hall. He called them for the mythological children of Ares, the Greek counterpart of the Roman god, Mars. Phobos, whose name indicates worry is the brother of Deimos.
Phobos, gouged and almost shattered by a giant effect crater and beaten by countless meteorite effects, is on a crash course with Mars. It is nearing Mars at a rate of six feet (1.8 meters) every hundred years. At this rate, it will either crash into Mars in 50 million years or separate into a ring.
Phobos is the bigger of Mars 2 moons and is 17 x 14 x 11 miles (27 by 22 by 18 kilometers) in size. It orbits Mars three times a day and is so near to the planets surface that it can not be seen from some places.
Its most popular feature is the 6-mile (9.7 kilometer) crater Stickney, its effect causing streak patterns throughout the moons surface. Stickney was seen by Mars Global Surveyor to be filled with great dust, with proof of boulders sliding down its sloped surface.
For more about this video, see Incredible Video of Solar Eclipse on Mars– Captured by NASAs Perseverance Rover.