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NASA’s Perseverance Snaps Stunning Pre-Dawn Image of Mars’ Moon Deimos

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NASA’s Perseverance rover has captured a remarkable early morning image of Mars’ smaller moon, Deimos, just before dawn on March 1, 2025, marking Sol 1433 of its mission. Using its left navigation camera, the rover combined 16 long-exposure shots taken over 52 seconds, each with the maximum exposure time of 3.28 seconds. This technique allowed Perseverance to reveal the faint outline of Deimos suspended against the dim pre-dawn Martian sky. Although the resulting image is somewhat hazy due to low light and digital noise, it provides a rare and valuable glimpse of the moon from the surface of Mars.

The image also shows several bright points of light, some of which are stars from the Leo constellation, including Regulus and Algieba. Many of the other specks in the photo are likely caused by cosmic rays striking the camera sensor during exposure or by image noise, adding complexity to the scene. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory reported that the frames were stitched together onboard the rover and later transmitted to Earth for detailed analysis, highlighting the rover’s unique observational capabilities beyond its primary geological mission.

This celestial snapshot illustrates the potential of Perseverance as a tool for more than just surface exploration. By capturing long-exposure images of Mars’ moons and stars, scientists can gain insights into the planet’s atmospheric conditions and the behavior of its natural satellites. Deimos appears brighter in the image due to its reflective surface and closer position during this observation. Such imaging efforts could improve understanding of how Mars’ moons orbit and interact with the planet, which is crucial for planning future missions, including those that may use these moons as orbital waypoints.

NASA continues to enhance the scientific return of Perseverance by pushing the boundaries of its imaging capabilities. Each new observation, including views of distant cosmic bodies like Deimos before dawn, enriches our knowledge of the Martian environment and expands the horizons of planetary exploration. These images not only serve as stunning visuals but also as valuable data to help unravel the complexities of Mars and its moons.

Striking Drone Image of Sharks Hunting Fish Wins Royal Society Photography Prize

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A breathtaking drone image capturing young sharks hunting fish in the shallow waters of the Maldives has won the top prize at this year’s Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition. The photograph, taken by Angela Albi, a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour in Germany, showcases the dramatic interaction between predator and prey. Albi collaborated with drone pilot August Paula to capture the image, which depicts a school of silverside fish being pursued by four young reef sharks.

The photo was taken during the early morning or late evening when the Maldives’ shallow waters offer crystal-clear visibility, providing the perfect conditions to witness the hunting behavior of the sharks. “Just after sunrise or before sundown, the shallow waters of the Maldives become a clear, see-through surface,” Albi explained, adding that these are the moments when shark-prey interactions are most visible.

The judges were impressed by the raw dynamics captured in the photograph. Hugh Turvey, a member of the competition’s judging panel, remarked that the image highlights “the raw instincts of nature,” with the school of fish moving in unison before splitting to evade the sharks.

Albi’s image won in the behavior category and was also named the overall winner of the competition. The contest features five categories: astronomy, behavior, Earth science and climatology, ecology and environmental science, and microimaging.

In the astronomy category, photographer Imran Sultan took an intricate shot of two nebulae in the Cassiopeia constellation, located over 7,000 light-years away. Meanwhile, David Garcia’s stunning photograph of a supraglacial melting lake in Greenland won the top award in the Earth science and climatology category, taken with an iPhone during a brief moment of light on his flight over the region.

In the microimaging category, “Tired eyes,” an image of the eyes of a bark scorpion, won first place. Photographer Jose Manuel Martinez Lopez captured the image by taking 110 photos of a dried specimen. Lastly, Peter Hudson’s photo of a secretary bird preparing to feast on a locust claimed the prize in the ecology and environmental science category.

A selection of the winning and runner-up images can be viewed in the competition’s online gallery.