A Mars scientist shares the inside story of the NASA Curiosity rover's poignant first photo of Earth and Mars moon Phobos together in the twilight sky.

NASA's Curiosity rover has captured a spectacular sight from the surface of Mars: The first-ever photo of Earth alongside the Red Planet's moon Phobos.

An incredible photo shows Earth photobombing Mars' moon Phobos. It is the first time ever the two have been captured together from the surface of Mars. NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used its Mast Camera, or Mastcam, to capture the view of Earth setting while Phobos is rising. The image shows Phobos on the left and Earth on the right.

The Curiosity rover captured this image on Sept. 9, 2024, during its 4,295th Martian day (called a "sol") on Mars. It's been rumbling over Martian terrain for over 12 years, and is currently ascending the 3.4-mile (5.5-kilometer) high Mount Sharp, a place that once experienced dramatic Martian floods.

Elon Musk said the uncrewed starships will test the reliability of landing intact on the Red Planet. Once these landings go well, then the company will work towards sending its first crewed flights to Mars in four years.

In an out-of-this-world first, Earth and Phobos have been photographed together in the sky by NASA’s Curiosity. The rover has previously snapped this moon and its companion Deimos, including in a beautiful eclipse,