NASA's Curiosity Rover Captures Mars Eclipse
- 12 years ago
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has taken on a second job - moonlighting as an astronomer.
Last week Curiosity outfitted its high-res camera with protective filters, and snapped pictures of the sun as Phobos, one of Mar's two small moons, sailed by.
It was a tricky shoot.
Phobos and its sister moon Deimos are closer to Mars than our moon is to Earth, so they shoot across the sky pretty quick.
Fortunately Curiosity had a partner in the project - it's sister rover Opportunity on the other side of Mars.
Between them they captured some great photos of the eclipse.
But it isn't all about pretty pictures: the images should also help scientists learn more about Mars's internal structure.
Like Earth's moon, Mars' moons have some gravitational pull that slightly change the planet's shape.
Last week Curiosity outfitted its high-res camera with protective filters, and snapped pictures of the sun as Phobos, one of Mar's two small moons, sailed by.
It was a tricky shoot.
Phobos and its sister moon Deimos are closer to Mars than our moon is to Earth, so they shoot across the sky pretty quick.
Fortunately Curiosity had a partner in the project - it's sister rover Opportunity on the other side of Mars.
Between them they captured some great photos of the eclipse.
But it isn't all about pretty pictures: the images should also help scientists learn more about Mars's internal structure.
Like Earth's moon, Mars' moons have some gravitational pull that slightly change the planet's shape.