Extraterrestrial skies Mars appears to be the angular diameter as seen from Earth (0.35°), and sends 40% of the light, approximately the brightness of a slightly cloudy afternoon on Earth. On June 3, 2014, the "Curiosity" rover on Mars observed the planet Mercury transiting the Sun, marking the first time a planetary transit has been observed from a celestial body besides Earth. Mars has two small moons: Phobos and Deimos. From the Martian surface, Phobos has one-third to one-half the angular diameter of the Sun while Deimos is barely more than a dot (only 2′ angular diameter). The orbital period of Phobos
Opportunity (rover) ceased communications on June 10 and entered hibernation on June 12, 2018. It was hoped it would reboot once the atmosphere cleared, but it did not, suggesting either a catastrophic failure or that a layer of dust has covered its solar panels. NASA hopes to reestablish contact with the rover, citing a windy period that could potentially clean off the solar panels of the rover. The primary surface mission for "Opportunity" was planned to last 90 sols (92 Earth days). The mission has received several extensions and has been operating for days since landing. An archive of weekly updates on