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Sometimes, you may glance up and find yourself captivated by the impressive sight of the moon, its surface beautifully illuminated by the sun. But have you ever considered what other moons might appear as seen from the surface of different planets in our solar system?
The Perseverance rover, managed by NASA and exploring Mars since its dramatic landing in 2021, has just released a stunning image of Deimos, one of Mars’ two moons.
“Wishing upon a… moon?” the Perseverance team based in California posted on the rover’s X account, adding, “That bright ‘star’ is actually Mars’ moon Deimos.”
Captured in March during the hours just before dawn, Perseverance used its left navigation camera to take a long-exposure shot that also features two stars from the constellation Leo: Regulus and Algieba, which NASA has kindly pointed out.
Deimos boasts a diameter of 7.7 miles (12.4 kilometers) and is believed to be a captured asteroid, significantly smaller than Earth’s moon, which has a diameter of 2,159 miles (3,474 kilometers).
While Deimos orbits Mars at a distance of 14,577 miles (23,460 kilometers), Earth’s moon hangs much farther away at about 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers).
Another distinguishing factor is the shape; our moon is spherical, whereas Deimos has an irregular, “potato-like” form, as portrayed by NASA.
This captivating image provides a refreshing change from the rover’s usual exploration of Martian terrain in search of ancient microbial life, offering a moment to appreciate the grander cosmic significance of its mission.
In many ways, this striking photograph is not only a technical achievement but also a source of reflection as the rover continues its epic journey to uncover knowledge beyond our home planet.
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