NASA’s Perseverance Rover Watches Earth Vanish Behind Martian Moon
Earth and the Martian moon Phobos dance together in a series of images recently acquired by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover. Earth appears as a point of light in the Martian sky, disappearing behind the crescent of Phobos, the larger of Mars’ two moons. This is the first time humanity has captured from the surface of […]
NASA's Perseverance rover captured a unique and unprecedented image sequence showcasing Earth disappearing behind the Martian moon Phobos on July 2, 2026. This event marked the first time humanity witnessed this observation from the surface of another planet. Perseverance's Mastcam-Z instrument, located on the rim of Mars' Jezero Crater, recorded the celestial dance between Earth and Phobos over a period of five individual images, taken at approximately 7 p.m. local Martian solar time.
Earth appeared as a small bright dot, gradually moving from the upper left to the lower right of the frame, as Phobos crossed in front of it, blocking the view of our planet for a brief moment. Phobos, a lumpy, potato-shaped moon roughly 17 miles across, orbits Mars at a distance of about 4,850 miles, making its appearance in the Martian sky three times a day.
In contrast, Earth, located 195 million miles away at the time, appeared as a mere pixel-sized dot in the frame. Mastcam-Z deputy principal investigator Justin Maki and Mastcam-Z co-investigator Mark Lemmon praised the achievement, highlighting the planning and luck involved in capturing this rare event.
Written by urgent.news from NASA's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
