Hurtling through space above the Red Planet potato-shaped Phobos completes an orbit of Marsin less than eight hours.In fact, since its orbital period is shorter tha the planet's rotation period Mars-based observerssee Phobos rise in the west and set in the east - traveling from horizon to horizon in about 5 1/2 hours These three images from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS spacecraftrecord the oval shadow of Phobos racing overwestern Xanthe Terra on August 26, 1999.The area imaged is about 250 kilometers across and is seenin panels from left to right asred filter, blue filter, and combined color composite viewsfrom the MGS wide-angle camera system.The three dark spots most easily seen in thered filter image are likely small fields of dar sand dunes on crater floors Standingin the shadow of Phobos, you wouldsee theMartian version of a solar eclipse!
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