We're just a dot: NASA's Mars rover has photographed Phobos and Earth together for the first time. Photo.
NASA's Curiosity rover, which celebrated the 12th anniversary of its landing on the Red Planet this month, has sent back a rare photo. During its recent observation, the robotic explorer was able to capture our Earth and one of Mars' moons, Phobos, in one shot.
This is the first time the rover has taken such a picture. Interestingly, in the photo, Phobos seems larger due to its proximity to Mars, and the Earth is just a blurry blue speck in the darkness of space, Mashable writes.
This image consists of five short and 12 long exposures.
Source: x.com/MarsCuriosity
"You're on Mars, looking up at the night sky and you notice... That's Phobos, one of Mars' two moons, and the tiny evening 'star' to its right is Earth! This is the first time we've ever captured them together in a photo," reads the caption to Curiosity's post on the X network.
And in the distant projection, the Earth looks like a speck.
Source: x.com/MarsCuriosity
Scientists emphasize that Mars has two satellites, Phobos and Deimos, which are only 12 and 22 kilometers in diameter. And Phobos in this picture is more than 100 times smaller than the Earth's Moon, which is 3474 kilometers wide. However, from the surface of Mars, its satellite seems quite large.
While on a research mission, the rover experienced many harsh Martian weather elements and was even blown up by a solar flare.
Source: Getty
The Curiosity rover has been roaming the surface of the Red Planet for 12 years in search of signs of ancient microbial life. It also collects rock samples.
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