In a remarkable display of celestial beauty, NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars captured a breathtaking sequence of images showcasing an annular eclipse of the sun by its moon, Phobos. From the vantage point of Mars' Jezero Crater, the rover's SkyCam and MastCam snapped over 65 images of the event on February 8, ensuring that not a moment was missed. The resulting footage, captured by the Left Mastcam-Z camera on the rover's mast, shows the peculiar potato-shaped moon slowly obliterating the luminous disc of the sun over a span of just 35 seconds.
This mesmerizing event took place less than two months before a total solar eclipse on Earth, which will be visible across North America. While the entire continent will witness the partial phases, only those within a narrow path of totality, spanning 115 miles wide, will have the privilege of experiencing the wondrous phenomena of totality—a brief period of darkness during daylight hours and an unobstructed view of the sun's radiant corona.
It is important to note that the recent eclipse observed from Mars was a partial or annular eclipse. Due to Phobos' relatively small size of about 7 miles (11.5 kilometers) across, it couldn't entirely mask the sun's brilliance. This holds true for all solar eclipses viewed from Mars, as Phobos, Mars' larger moon compared to Deimos, orbits the planet at a relatively close distance of approximately 3,700 miles (6,000 kilometers).
This is not the first time Mars rovers have captured images of Phobos during a solar eclipse. In 2004, the Spirit and Opportunity rovers achieved this feat for the first time, followed by the Curiosity rover. Perseverance, which landed on Mars on February 18, 2021, has been diligently searching for signs of ancient microbial life and recently marked its 1,000th Martian day, or sol, on December 12. Its next endeavor involves exploring an area playfully nicknamed 'Beehive Geyser.'
The approaching future holds a fascinating proposition—a looming collision between Phobos and Mars, predicted to occur in approximately 50 million years. As Phobos gradually draws nearer to Mars, its apparent size will eventually expand enough to totally obscure the sun. Technically speaking, this would make a total solar eclipse possible from Mars. However, due to Phobos' imperfect, potato-like shape, it will never produce a precisely symmetrical totality.
On April 8, a total solar eclipse will grace Earth, captivating those fortunate enough to witness it. The moon's proximity to our planet during this event will cause it to appear 5.6% larger than the sun, casting a sweeping shadow that will traverse the globe at breathtaking speeds, averaging 1,500 mph. The path of totality will cross parts of Mexico, the United States, and several Canadian provinces, offering moments of awe to onlookers in locations such as Mazatlan, San Antonio, Montreal, and many more.
During this celestial spectacle, the path of totality will traverse North America for a duration of 100 minutes, crossing six different time zones. Those within the path will have the unique opportunity to bask in up to 4 minutes and 28 seconds of total darkness and witness the mystical dance between the moon and the sun. This awe-inspiring event will leave a lasting impression on those lucky enough to experience it firsthand.
For the latest updates and comprehensive coverage of the upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8, be sure to stay tuned to our feed for daily articles containing valuable information. May clear skies and widened eyes bring you the most extraordinary observations of our extraordinary universe.
