One of the cameras on NASA’s Perseverance rover captured a series of 68 images showing the Martian moon Phobos passing toward the sun. Such photos had previously been taken by other NASA rovers. The Perseverance image series was added to this collection, in which NASA experts prepared the solar eclipse video. The moon’s imperfect shape causes its shadow to appear like the silhouette of a potato.

Phobos is one of Mars’ two moons and is closer to it. It is currently located at an average altitude of 6,000 km above the surface of the Red Planet. Like the story of Deimos, the origin of Phobos is currently unknown. The Japanese mission MMX (Martian Moons eXploration) had to help solve this mystery. Its launch was expected in February 2024, but due to two consecutive accidents of the promising Japanese H3 rocket, the mission was postponed to 2026.

The Japanese probe must land on Phobos and take samples of its soil to return to Earth. The Japanese have proven adept at landing asteroids, and Phobos looks more like an asteroid than a small planet. Additionally, data on the composition of Phobos soil can shed light on the dynamics of the Martian atmosphere from a long historical perspective. The satellite orbits close enough to the planet that atmospheric gas molecules can leave traces on the minerals.

For now, we can only admire the images of the rover observing the behavior of Phobos in its natural environment.