Solar Eclipse "eye of Mars"

Photo was taken on September 13, approximately five weeks after landing in a huge crater Gail



The Rover Curiosity, staying at the moment on the red planet, was able to get excellent shots partial solar Eclipse. On the pictures you can see a small fragment of the solar disk is blocked by a satellite Phobos. Photo was taken on September 13, approximately five weeks after landing in a huge crater Gale.


The image obtained by the camera of the Rover's Mast Camera (Mastcam). It is obvious that the Martian solar Eclipse is very different from what we are accustomed to see from Earth, according to infuture.ru. The orbit of Phobos is closer to Mars than our moon is to the Earth, its orbit is inside the Roche limit. Since the size closest to Mars satellite small (approximately 22 to 27 km), but also because of the fast motion, the solar Eclipse with the Martian surface can be observed about 20 seconds. In addition, the small size of Phobos is not allowed to create a total Eclipse. Martian Eclipse - ring.




Another satellite of Mars - Deimos is even smaller in diameter by about 12 km. It is farther from Mars and cause Eclipse can't. All that can be seen from Mars is a small object that passes through the disk of the Sun.Many scientists believe that Phobos and Deimos - the asteroids or the broken shards of a larger asteroid that was captured by the planet.




Experts expect that the Rover will get hundreds of such high-resolution photos, which will allow you to mount the first film, showing a solar Eclipse on Mars. Over the next few days, Curiosity will be able to observe the amazing transits of the moons of Mars across the Solar disk.

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