AI Insight
NASA's Perseverance rover captured images of Phobos, one of Mars' two moons, passing in front of the Sun on August 12, 2026 (Sol 1,948 of the mission) using its Mastcam-Z camera. The animation has been color-adjusted to simulate how a human would observe the transit through protective solar eclipse glasses from the Martian surface. Scientists use multiple transit observations, collected since Perseverance's February 2021 landing, to refine measurements of Phobos' changing orbit, which is gradually decaying and will eventually cause the moon to collide with Mars in the distant future.
Why it matters
These repeated observations allow scientists to precisely track orbital decay of Phobos and improve predictive models of its eventual descent to the Martian surface. The data contributes to our understanding of tidal forces and gravitational interactions between planets and their moons.
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Perseverance Captures Another Phobos Transit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS/SSI
Description
NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover used its Mastcam-Z camera to capture the silhouette of Phobos, one of the two Martian moons, as it crossed in front of the Sun on Aug. 12, 2026, the 1,948th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.
The animation has been tinted to simulate what a human would see if they were watching the transit from the Martian surface through protective solar eclipse glasses.
Perseverance has captured several Phobos transits since its landing at Jezero Crater in February 2021. By comparing the various recordings, scientists can refine their understanding of the potato-shaped moon’’ orbit, learning how it is changing. Eons from now, Phobos’ orbit is expected to eventually send the moon toward the Red Planet’s surface.
Arizona State University leads the operations of the Mastcam-Z instrument, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, on the design, fabrication, testing, and operation of the cameras, and in collaboration with the Niels Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen on the design, fabrication, and testing of the calibration targets.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.
For more about Perseverance: science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-2020-perseverance
