High-definition 'solar eclipse' of Phobos, a satellite captured by Perseverance on Mars: Dong-A Science

Even sunspots and satellite curves are revealed… Helps to understand the internal matter of Mars

[NASA 제공/ UPI=연합뉴스]

The US Mars rover ‘Perseverance’ has captured and transmitted a video of a solar eclipse phenomenon in which Phobos, one of Mars’ two moons (moon), passes in front of the sun and blocks the sun’s light.

The solar eclipse of Phobos, captured by the Perseverance’s advanced ‘Matcam-Z’ camera on the 2nd, ends in about 40 seconds, but the image passing through the sun is clearly captured.

Solar eclipse on Mars was first captured as a still picture through the twin rovers ‘Spirit’ and ‘Opportunity’ in the United States in 2004. It is the first time that a clear scene has been secured.

Mastcam-Z reduces the intensity of light by applying the same solar filter as sunglasses, making it possible to check the sunspots as well as the curved parts of Phobos.

“I knew it was coming, but I didn’t expect it to be this good,” said Rachel Howson of Marlin Space Science Systems, which operates the Mastcam-Z camera for Perseverance.

The Perseverance spacecraft has been observing Phobos to understand the changes in the potato-like orbit of Phobos and its gravitational force on the surface of Mars.

Phobos is only one-157th the size of Earth’s moon, and Deimos is smaller, but gravity creates a tidal force inside Mars that transforms the crust and rocks in the mantle and gradually changes the orbit of the moon. Therefore, it will be possible to broaden our understanding of the material inside Mars by understanding the changes in the orbit of the satellite.

Phobos is currently slowly approaching the surface of Mars, and it is believed that it is doomed to collide with Mars in tens of millions of years.

Phobos and Deimos are believed to have been caught by gravity as they passed near Mars as asteroids.

Meanwhile, after collecting 8 rock core samples in the first scientific expedition and moving about 5 km, the Perseverance arrived at the outskirts of the ancient delta where the second scientific expedition would take place on the 13th.

“This delta of craters for example will be the site of a true geological feast, and one of the best places to find traces of microbes on Mars,” said Thomas Zubuken, deputy director of scientific missions at NASA. “It’s there and the perseverance team is ready to find it.”