For the first sentence ever a transit of the sunlight has been keep from a world other than Earth . TheCuriosity Mars RoverwatchedMercurypass across the face of the Sun .

The observation has no scientific grandness , but Mark Lemmon   of the squad controlling Curiosity ’s mast camera said , " This is a nod to the relevance of planetary passage to the history of astronomy on Earth . Observations of Venus transit were used to measure the size of the solar system , and Mercury transits were used to measure out the size of the sunshine . " The transportation occurred on June 3 , but NASA released the footage a week afterwards .

An attempt to measure the start and end Transit of Venus in 1769 broughtCaptain Cook to the South Pacific , finally lead in the mapping of the east coast of Australia . For Curiosity , the chance to observe a transit had nothing to do with its position on Mars , let alone its timing , but the decision to turn the television camera sunwards could still be seen as an acknowledgement of the account of geographic expedition .

If all the planets ' orbits lay in a consummate plain transits would bechance every time an inner planet overtook an outer one on their journeying around the sun . However , svelte leaning between the scope mean that transits only fall out when planets are at just the correct spot . For instance , transit of Venus from Earth can presently only occur in early June or December as these are the point where the planes of the two planets ' orbits cross .

Although Mars of course has more opportunities for transits , with three planets between it and the sun , none of the old landers or bird of passage observed one . theodolite on Mare are less telling than from Earth , by chastity of the transiting planets being further forth . In NASA ’s video ( see below ) Mercury is shadow by two prominent macula , thanks tosolar activity being high at the instant .

The Earth will get its own transit of Mercury on May 9 2016,visible from North and South America and western Europe . Mars however , will have one even rather , in April next year .

In November 2084 Mars will feel a transit of Earth , which might prove truly exciting to homesick colonists .

NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS / Texas A&M

Meanwhile Curiosity has compile powder from drill asandstone rock call Windjanaand is head towards nearby Mount Sharp while its onboard instrument analyze the cuttings .