NASA’s Perseverance rover captured a stunning view of Deimos, the smaller moon of Mars, on March 1, 2025. The image shows Deimos shining in the dark sky before sunrise, with the help of the rover’s long-exposure time to capture the low light conditions.
The rover took 16 individual shots and combined them into a single image that represents an exposure time of about 52 seconds. However, this high-resolution image also introduces digital noise, making it appear hazy.
The bright white specks visible in the sky are likely due to cosmic rays or digital noise. Two notable stars seen in the constellation Leo are Regulus and Algieba, which were labeled in the annotated version of the image. The “Woodstock Crater” is also visible in the center-right part of the image, roughly half a mile away from the rover.
Perseverance’s mission objective on Mars includes astrobiology research and searching for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover aims to characterize the planet’s geology and past climate to pave the way for human exploration. It is also collecting and caching Martian rock and regolith samples, which will be returned to Earth through NASA’s Mars Sample Return Program in cooperation with ESA.
The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s broader Mars Exploration Program portfolio, building on the agency’s Moon to Mars exploration approach with Artemis missions. The rover was built and managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Caltech.
Source: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/pia26556-perseverance-views-deimos-before-sunrise