![]() Geophysicists can use those orbital shifts to understand the interior of Mars better and learn more about the material composition of its crust and mantle. ![]() These forces also slowly affect Phobos's orbit. The moon exerts gravitational forces on Mars, which slightly deforms the rock in the planet's crust and mantle. And it's cool that you can see this eclipse exactly as the rover saw it from Mars.'ĭespite its small size, Phobos still significantly impacts the Martian surface. Lemmon has been involved with many of the Phobos observations by Mars rovers. 'You can see details in the shape of Phobos' shadow, like ridges and bumps on the moon's landscape,' said Mark Lemmon, a planetary astronomer with the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado. Mastcam-Z includes a solar filter that reduces the light intensity from the sun, allowing us to see more detail. It isn't just the resolution and framerate that makes the latest eclipse footage spectacular, but also the color. You know what's coming, but there is still an element of surprise when you get to see the final product.' Howson said,' It feels like a birthday or holiday when they arrive. The thumbnails teased what would ultimately be amazing footage. Howson originally saw lower-resolution thumbnails, which is what Perseverance sends back to Earth first. Howson is one of the Mastcam-Z team members who operate the camera. 'I knew it was going to be good, but I didn't expect it to be this amazing,' said Rachel Howson of Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego. ![]() While the imagery is fascinating, the latest footage from Perseverance shows just how far camera technology has come on NASA's rovers. In 2019, the Curiosity rover used its Mastcam to record a timelapse of two solar eclipses on Mars. In 2004, the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity captured eclipses of both of Mars's moons. This isn't the first time NASA spacecraft has captured solar eclipses on Mars.
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