Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2026 May 24 Your browser does not support the video tag. A Martian Eclipse: Phobos Crosses the Sun Video Credit: [2]NASA, [3]JPL-Caltech, [4]ASU [5]MSSS, [6]SSI Explanation: What's that passing in front of the Sun? It looks like a moon, but it can't be [7]Earth's Moon, because it isn't round. It's the Martian moon [8]Phobos. The [9]featured video was taken from the [10]surface of Mars in 2022 by the Perseverance rover. [11]Phobos, at 11.5 kilometers across, is 150 times smaller than [12]Luna (our moon) in diameter, but also 50 times closer to its [13]parent planet. In fact, [14]Phobos is [15]so close to Mars that [16]it is expected to break up and crash into [17]Mars within the next 50 million years. In the near term, the low orbit of [18]Phobos results in more rapid solar eclipses than seen from [19]Earth. The [20]featured video is shown in real time -- the transit [21]really took about 40 seconds, as shown. The videographer -- the [22]robotic rover Perseverance (Percy) -- continues to explore [23]Jezero Crater on [24]Mars, searching not only for clues to the watery history of the [25]now dry world, but evidence of [26]ancient microbial life. Tomorrow's picture: space globs __________________________________________________________________ [27]< | [28]Archive | [29]Submissions | [30]Index | [31]Search | [32]Calendar | [33]RSS | [34]Education | [35]About APOD | [36]Discuss | [37]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [38]Robert Nemiroff ([39]MTU) & [40]Jerry Bonnell ([41]UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn [42]Specific rights apply. [43]NASA Web Privacy, [44]Accessibility, [45]Notices; A service of: [46]ASD at [47]NASA / [48]GSFC, [49]NASA Science Activation & [50]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://www.nasa.gov/ 3. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ 4. https://mastcamz.asu.edu/ 5. https://www.msss.com/ 6. https://www.spacescience.org/ 7. https://science.nasa.gov/moon/ 8. https://science.nasa.gov/mars/moons/phobos/ 9. https://science.nasa.gov/photojournal/perseverances-mastcam-z-captures-a-phobos-solar-eclipse/ 10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap131208.html 11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phobos_(moon) 12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260511.html 13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160529.html 14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap181125.html 15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101201.html 16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110124.html 17. https://science.nasa.gov/mars/ 18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap151122.html 19. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/earth/overview/ 20. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25179 21. https://t4.ftcdn.net/jpg/08/74/51/69/360_F_874516932_itAmEASwXuIi97PUoP9Jz6w9mNKeMKHg.jpg 22. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-2020-perseverance/ 23. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jezero_(crater) 24. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/all-about-mars/ 25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190314.html 26. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-2020-perseverance/ 27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260523.html 28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 31. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 33. https://apod.com/feed.rss 34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 35. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 36. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260524 37. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260525.html 38. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/department/faculty/nemiroff/ 39. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/ 40. https://inspirehep.net/authors/1073087 41. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 42. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 43. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 44. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/ 45. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/ 46. https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/astrophysics/ 47. https://www.nasa.gov/ 48. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 49. https://science.nasa.gov/learn/about-science-activation/ 50. http://www.mtu.edu/