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A transit of Deimos across the Sun as seen from Mars occurs when Deimos passes directly between the Sun and a point on the surface of Mars, obscuring a small part of the Sun's disc for an observer on Mars. During a transit, Deimos can be seen from Mars as a small dark spot rapidly moving across the Sun's face.[1][2]
The event could also be referred to as a partial eclipse of the Sun by Deimos. However, since the angular diameter of Deimos is only about 1/10 of the angular diameter of the Sun as seen from Mars, it is more natural to refer to it as a transit. The angular diameter of Deimos is only 2½ times the angular diameter of Venus as seen from Earth during a transit of Venus from Earth.
- ^ Kranking, Carlyn (February 15, 2024). "What Does a Solar Eclipse on Mars Look Like? New, Breathtaking Images, Caught by NASA's Perseverance Rover, Give Us an Idea. The robot recently observed each of the Red Planet's moons passing across the sun in the Martian sky". smithsonianmag.com. Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
- ^ "Perseverance Views a Transit of Deimos". www.jpl.nasa.gov/images. NASA. March 6, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.