6 Great Space Images From February

Katrina MillerReporting on space and astronomy

The Martian moon Phobos is much smaller than our own moon, so this view of a solar eclipse is as good as it gets on the red planet.

Here are five more images from space and astronomy this month →

NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/Jason Major

Last fall, the Osiris-Rex spacecraft dropped off bits of an asteroid to scientists on Earth. After struggling to open the lid on the spacecraft’s container, scientists found that the mission had recovered more than a quarter pound of pristine space rock — the largest sample to date.

Erika Blumenfeld and Joseph Aebersold/NASA

NASA’s Perseverance rover photographed the final resting place on Mars of its sibling, Ingenuity, a robotic helicopter that performed over 70 flights in three years. It damaged its blades during its last attempt at landing, ending its mission.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/Simeon Schmauss

Marcus Wandt, a Swedish astronaut, shared his cosmic waltz through the International Space Station. The movement, he said, helped him get used to microgravity during the weeks he spent living in orbit.