Solar eclipse on Mars: the Perseverance rover captured the passage of Phobos across the solar disk

by alex

Photographs of a rare phenomenon added 68 images to the rover's collection

Last week, the Perseverance rover captured images of Mars' moon Phobos as it passed in front of the Sun. On February 8, the rover's Mastcam-Z camera captured 68 images of the solar eclipse, which are available in the Perseverance raw photo repository.

Phobos, a satellite of Mars, has an ancient Greek name meaning «Fear» and was discovered by the American astronomer Asaph Hall back in 1877. This asteroid-sized moon orbits the surface of the Red Planet and still poses a mystery to scientists in that Phobos and Mars' other moon, Deimos, still have unclear origins. Scientists debate whether they originated from the asteroid belt as a result of collisions or are remnants of ancient remnants of the solar system.

Although Phobos has been studied by many spacecraft, none of them have yet reached its surface. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) plans to send the Mars Moon Exploration Mission (MMX) to Phobos in 2026. This mission will be important as it intends to collect dust samples from Phobos and return them to Earth. These samples will help unlock the mysteries of Phobos and Mars, and will also help scientists answer the question of why Mars lost its atmosphere and whether it supported habitability and water in the past.

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Perseverance also plays an important role in collecting samples from Mars. The plans of NASA and the European Space Agency — collaboration to bring these samples to Earth in the 2030s. However, due to budgetary issues, the MSR program responsible for delivering the samples faced uncertainty and limitations. 

MSR is behind schedule and behind budget due to its complexity, and NASA is operating under a resolution to freeze spending at 2023 levels until Congress decides on the US budget. JPL says ongoing uncertainty has forced it to lay off 8% of its workforce this month.

Despite this, the Perseverance mission continues its work, exploring archaeological traces of ancient water and looking for signs of life on Mars.

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