The moons of the solar system got a bit greedy during this week’s space photo round-up. Our own moon was captured blocking out the sun for 45 minutes, making for an epic lunar photobomb. A bit further out in the solar system, Jupiter showed a dark blemish on its surface, a shadow cast by its tiny moon Amalthea. The small Jovian moon was captured by the Juno spacecraft in orbit around the banded gas giant. Jupiter’s moons help feed its faint rings, and Amalthea is no exception. This irregularly shaped moon loses material, providing dust and particles that form the Amalthea Gossamer Ring.
Planets have other kinds of pseudo-moons, too. Mars has Phobos and Deimos, of course, but it's also orbited by many artificial satellites--like NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. This rockstar satellite snapped a bizarre and fascinating photo of Hellas Planitia basin with some very strange features. These deep zigzagging lines are called linear gullies, likely formed by thawing blocks of carbon dioxide ice. Scientists are still unsure about the process, but regardless, the view from above is pretty cool.
Still need to space out? There's more, check out the full collection of cosmic photos here.
