Perseverance Captures Earth Vanishing Behind Martian Moon Phobos
NASA says the processed composite confirms Mastcam‑Z can plan and record occultations from the Martian surface, showing a new capability for long‑duration rover imaging.
Overview
- Perseverance’s Mastcam‑Z recorded a multi-frame sequence of Earth slipping behind Phobos on July 2, 2026, with the images taken at about 7 p.m. local solar time and spanning roughly 40 seconds.
- NASA released the processed composite and annotations on August 5, 2026, describing the sequence as the first time Earth was seen disappearing behind another object from the surface of another planet.
- In the images Earth appears as a single pixel about 195 million miles (314 million kilometers) away while Phobos shows as a crescent from Perseverance’s rim position; Phobos is about 17 miles (27 kilometers) across and orbits roughly 4,850 miles (7,800 kilometers) above Mars.
- NASA classifies the alignment as an occultation, meaning Phobos fully blocked the view of Earth from the rover’s vantage point, and notes Perseverance has previously recorded Phobos and Deimos transits across the Sun.
- The observation was planned and assembled by the Mastcam‑Z team, including Mark Lemmon and Justin Maki, and the release highlights both the mission’s sustained imaging operations and the public engagement value of surface‑based astronomical observations.