Perseverance rover captures solar eclipse on Mars’ moon Phobos: Watch video

However, Perseverance has provided the most zoomed-in, highest-frame-rate observation of a Phobos solar eclipse ever taken from the Martian surface.

Using its next-generation Mastcam-Z camera system, NASA's Perseverance rover has captured a detailed video of a solar eclipse on Mars' potato-shaped moon 'Phobos'.

To date, there have been many observations of Martian moons eclipsing the sun. In 2004, NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers took the first time-lapse photos of the Martian moons Phobos during a solar eclipse. In April 2019, the Curiosity rover captured two solar eclipses in Phobos and Deimos.

However, Perseverance has provided the most zoomed-in, highest-frame-rate observation of a Phobos solar eclipse ever taken from the Martian surface.

Video Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS/SSI

According to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the eclipse lasted a little over 40 seconds - that's much shorter than a typical solar eclipse involving Earth's only Moon. The video was captured on April 2, 2022.

"You can see details in the shape of Phobos' shadow, like ridges and bumps on the moon's landscape. You can also see sunspots. And it's cool that you can see this eclipse exactly as the rover saw it from Mars," said Mark Lemmon, a planetary astronomer with the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado, who has orchestrated most of the Phobos observations by Mars rovers.

Phobos is about 157 times smaller than Earth's Moon and is lumpy, heavily-cratered and covered in dust and lose rocks. It is destined to crash into the planet in tens of millions of years.

These events help scientists fine-tune their understanding of the moon's orbit around Mars and how its gravity pulls on the Martian surface, ultimately shaping the Red Planet's crust and mantle.

Getting a closer look at Phobos. @NASAPersevere used its Mastcam-Z camera to take video of Mars’ moon Phobos as it crossed the Sun. This eclipse lasted a little more than 40 seconds and gives the team insight into how Phobos’ orbit is changing over time. https://t.co/hOOQ8RIsRl pic.twitter.com/V7fz6KbH8R

— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) April 20, 2022