Space Exploration Event

NASA’s Perseverance Captures Phobos and Earth

These images demonstrate the technical ability of a robotic rover on Mars to track and photograph distant astronomical objects.

• Images were captured by the Mastcam-Z instrument aboard Perseverance on July 2, 2026 (sol 1,907 of the mission).
• A composite of images shows Earth as a bright dot passing behind Mars' moon Phobos about 40 minutes after sunset.
• The operation was managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory with Mastcam-Z operations led by Arizona State University and Malin Space Science Systems.