Martian Astronomy: Percy Sees a ‘Phobos Eclipse’ From Mars

Martian Astronomy: Percy Sees a ‘Phobos Eclipse’ From Mars

Sure. It’s just another image of Phobos crossing the disk of the Sun, as seen from the surface of Mars. Like so much of the modern space era, these images, once amazing, are now almost routine. But there’s some real science behind tasking the Mars rovers to conduct a little ‘Martian astronomy.’

Perseverance rover captures rare Phobos transit across the Sun from Martian surface

NASA's Perseverance rover has captured a rare celestial event: the transit of Mars' moon Phobos across the face of the Sun. The images, taken on August 12, 2026, by the rover's Mastcam-Z camera, have provided unprecedented accuracy in mapping the moon's orbital parameters, pinpointing them within 100 meters. A Fleeting Shadow Across the Sun To capture the phenomenon safely, the rover employed specialized solar filters, safeguarding its sensitive…