NASA's Perseverance Mars rover, ever the diligent celestial photographer, has once again turned its gaze skyward to catch Phobos - one of Mars' two decidedly unimpressive moons - sashaying across the Sun. The event occurred on Aug. 12, 2026, the 1,948th Martian day (or sol, for those fluent in Red Planet) of the mission.

The footage, captured with the trusty Mastcam-Z, has been tinted to mimic what a human might see if they were standing on Mars wearing solar eclipse glasses. Because nothing says 'authentic experience' like watching a potato-shaped moon block out the Sun through a filter that makes you look like you're in a 3D movie.

Since its dramatic arrival at Jezero Crater in February 2021, Perseverance has been snapping Phobos transits like a tourist with a new camera. Scientists, ever the thrill-seekers, are comparing these recordings to refine their understanding of Phobos' orbit - how it's shifting, wobbling, and generally being a celestial drama queen. Eons from now, Phobos is expected to spiral down and crash into Mars' surface, which will be a spectacular show for whoever's around to see it (or a very bad day for any Martian real estate).

Behind the scenes, Arizona State University leads the Mastcam-Z operations, with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego handling design, fabrication, testing, and operation of the cameras, and the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen pitching in on calibration targets. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, built and manages Perseverance - because someone has to keep this rover rolling.

For more on Perseverance, visit science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-2020-perseverance, where you, too, can obsess over a moon that looks like a lumpy potato.