NASA Mars Rover Captures Goofy 'Googly Eye' Solar Eclipse

Our solar eclipses on Earth are pretty straightforward. The moon takes a nice clean circular chunk out of the sun. Solar eclipses and transits on Mars look a little messier because the red planet's two moons have lumpy, irregular shapes. That makes for some weird solar eclipses. How weird? The Perseverance Mars rover caught sight of a solar eclipse that turned the sun into what NASA described as a "googly eye."

A video captured by Perseverance from the surface of Mars on Sept. 30 shows the potato-shaped moon Phobos passing in front of the orange disk of the sun. Just like with a solar eclipse on Earth, Phobos cast a shadow onto Mars as it transited across the face of the sun.

The video shows a sped-up version of the eclipse and a version that plays out in actual time. 

"Due to its quick orbit (about 7.6 hours to do a full loop around Mars), a transit of Phobos usually lasts only 30 seconds or so," NASA said. 

Phobos orbits Mars three times each day. Transits aren't unusual, but it's a treat for Perseverance to get a video of an eclipse in action. The rover used its mast-mounted Mastcam-Z instrument to snag the views.

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Perseverance snapped this view of its "head" showing the Mastcam-Z instrument. 

Phobos is a funky-looking space object with a pockmarked surface. At only 17 miles across, NASA says it's 157 times smaller than Earth's moon. Phobos is the larger of the red planet's two moons. Dainty Deimos is just 9 miles across at its widest point.

Perseverance has been in residence on Mars since 2021 and has spotted Phobos transits in the past. Tracking Phobos is about more than capturing entertaining videos. Scientists discovered the moon is slowly snuggling in closer to Mars and may eventually collide with the planet or fall apart about 50 million years from now. 

"By comparing the various images, scientists can refine their understanding of the moon's orbit to learn how it's changing," NASA said. 

NASA timed the googly eye Mars solar eclipse video for Halloween festivities. Phobos is named for the Greek god of fear and panic. Deimos is named for Phobos' twin brother, the god of terror and dread. They sound like a pleasant family. Phobos' ability to turn the sun into a creepy cosmic eyeball is a Halloween-worthy stunt.