Rover captures peculiar ‘googly eye’ in the Martian sky
CTV
As Phobos, one of Mars’ two moons, passed in front of the sun, it cast a lumpy, potato-shaped shadow on the sun’s face as well as on the Martian surface.
The Perseverance rover spotted a quick glimpse of a cosmic “googly eye” on Mars during a recent solar eclipse.
As Phobos, one of Mars’ two moons, passed in front of the sun, it cast a lumpy, potato-shaped shadow on the sun’s face as well as on the Martian surface.
The Perseverance rover, currently ascending the western wall of Jezero Crater, captured a video of the partial eclipse, which resembled a googly eye, on September 30.
The eclipse lasted about 30 seconds, which makes the minutes-long solar eclipses seen from Earth seem epic — but the events are comparatively brief on Mars because Phobos is about 157 times smaller in diameter than Earth’s moon, according to NASA.
Perseverance’s latest observation carries on the tradition of Mars rovers that have served as the few spectators to glimpse — and record — a Martian eclipse. Previous images includes a video taken by the Curiosity rover in 2019 and photo that the Opportunity rover snapped in 2004.
With each video or photo of a Martian eclipse that a robotic explorer takes, astronomers can better understand the changing orbit of Phobos and how its days are numbered.
