Eclipses are not exclusive to our major planet . While the Moon sure enough make it spectacular , often breed the Sun altogether ( at least for the next600 million twelvemonth ) , the other natural satellites in the Solar System rove their shadows too . And on Mars , humanity is lucky to have two working golem and two moons – multiple combination and multiple chance to record eclipses .
The latest one take berth on September 30 , just twenty-four hours before Earth experienced aring of fire eclipse . On Mars , it is less than a anchor ring because the eclipse object is the Solanum tuberosum - shapeddoomed Sun Myung Moon Phoboscrossing the Sun . On the ground , Perseverance was able to snap the heavenly spectacle . The scouter had already snapped another eclipseearlier this yr .
Phobos is 27 by 22 by 18 km ( 17 international mile by 14 miles by 11 mile ) , which is tiny , but it orbits very tight to Mars – just 9,000 kilometers ( 5,600 miles ) – so can parry a good portion of the Sun . Actually , Phobos is the closest orbiting synodic month in the Solar System , going around the Red Planet in just seven hour . It has many peculiar surface features : one elephantine crater , a strangechain of craters , and more . These eclipse actually help to meditate this diminutive moon .
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Phobos eclipsing the Sun on September 30.Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU Animation by IFLScience
" Each time these eclipse are observed , they set aside scientists to measure subtle shifts in Phobos ’ orbit over prison term . The moon ’s tidal forces pull out on the recondite interior impudence and drapery of the Red Planet ; studying how much Phobos shifts over time give away something about how resistant the freshness and mantle are , and thus what sort of materials they ’re made of,“NASA explainedafter a previous occultation in 2022 .
Phobos – along with Deimos , Mars ' 2d , slimly smaller moonshine – may have beenpart of a larger moonor achunk of the Red Planetitself .
