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PIA05556: Deimos Crosses Face of Sun
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover, Opportunity, shows the transit of Mars' moon Deimos across the Sun. Animation available at the Photojournal.
 Target Name:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  Mars Exploration Rover (MER) 
 Spacecraft:  Opportunity
 Instrument:  Panoramic Camera 
 Product Size:  360 x 360 pixels (w x h) 
 Produced By:  Cornell University 

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Original Caption Released with Image:

This animation shows the passing, or transit, of the martian moon Deimos over the Sun. This event is similar solar eclipse seen on Earth in which our Moon crosses in front of the Sun. The animation is made up of images taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on sol 39 of its mission. Deimos passed slightly closer to the center of the Sun than expected, and arrived about 30 seconds early. This observation will help refine our knowledge of the orbit and position of Deimos.

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Cornell

Image Addition Date:
2004-03-12