A NASA rover searching for signs of life on Mars got a clear view of one of the Red Planet’s moons passing in front of the sun.
The Perseverance rover, which landed on Mars in February 2021 after launching the previous July, has the primary goal of searching for signs of ancient microbial life that could unlock clues to the past habitability of Mars.
Newly released video shows Phobos, the larger of Mars’ two moons, moving in between the planet and the sun and creating a sort of googly eyed-like effect.
The footage was taken from the Jezero Crater, a location which scientists believe was once flooded with water and home to an ancient river delta.
The 28-mile-wide crater is located near the Martian equator, about 2,300 miles away from NASA’s Curiosity rover, which landed on Mars in 2012.
As of October, Perseverance has traveled nearly 19 miles and collected 24 rock samples (in addition to one air sample) since landing over three years ago, NASA says.
And while eclipses – especially ones captured this clearly – are relatively rare on Earth, they are more common on Mars, as Phobos orbits the Red Planet three times a day.
A NASA rover searching for signs of life on Mars got a clear view of one of the Red Planet’s moons passing in front of the sun. The Perseverance rover, which landed on Mars in February 2021 after launching the previous July, has the primary goal of searching for signs of ancient microbial life that […]
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