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NASA’s Perseverance rover recorded a sequence of images on July 2, the 1,907th Martian day of its mission, showing Earth as a faint point of light in the Martian sky vanishing behind the crescent of Phobos. The observation was made using the Mastcam-Z instrument at approximately 7 p.m. local solar time from the rover’s position on the rim of Jezero Crater. The composite image reveals Earth’s movement across the frame as Phobos crosses its path, culminating in the planet’s temporary disappearance behind the moon’s shadowed edge.

The event is classified as an occultation, where Phobos, a small, irregularly shaped moon roughly 17 miles wide, completely blocks Earth from view. From Perseverance’s vantage point, Phobos appeared about one-third the width of Earth’s Moon, while Earth itself was reduced to a single pixel due to its vast distance of 195 million miles. The alignment required precise planning, as Phobos crosses the Martian sky three times daily, and Earth remains visible for extended periods.

Justin Maki, Mastcam-Z deputy principal investigator at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, described the composite as a unique Earth self-portrait with a Phobos photobomb. Mark Lemmon, a Mastcam-Z co-investigator at the Space Science Institute, noted that capturing such an alignment demands both planning and favorable conditions, distinguishing it from more common transits or eclipses observed by the rover.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages Perseverance’s operations, with Arizona State University leading Mastcam-Z’s operations in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems. The rover is part of the Mars Sample Return Campaign, contributing to ongoing efforts to explore the planet’s history and potential for past habitability.