Perseverance Captures Another Phobos Transit
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover, equipped with its Mastcam-Z camera, has once again documented Phobos, one of Mars' two moons, as it passed in front of the Sun. This celestial event occurred on August 12, 2026, marking the 1,948th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's mission.
The captured animation has been color-enhanced to provide a visual representation of what an observer on the Martian surface would experience if viewing the transit through protective solar eclipse glasses.
Since its arrival in Jezero Crater in February 2021, Perseverance has recorded numerous Phobos transits. By analyzing these diverse observations, scientists aim to refine their understanding of the irregularly shaped moon's orbit and how it is evolving. It is projected that Phobos' orbit will eventually lead it to impact the surface of the Red Planet over vast timescales.
The Mastcam-Z instrument's operations are managed by Arizona State University, in partnership with Malin Space Science Systems of San Diego, which is responsible for the instrument's design, fabrication, testing, and operation. The calibration targets were designed, fabricated, and tested in collaboration with the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen.
The Perseverance rover was built and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California.
For further details on the Perseverance mission, please visit: science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-2020-perseverance/
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