NASA Mars Rover Curiosity Captures Stunning Martian Moonrise (Video)

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has been trekking across the Red Planet, collecting crucial data as it drills into rocks and gathers samples. Now, the rover has caught stunning images of one of Mars' two tiny moons climbing high into the sky during a fantastic moonrise.

The newly released video that reveals the moonrise actually stitches together 86 frames that were snapped by Curiosity's navigation camera, according to Space.com. Together, the video reveals Phobos, the Martian moon, rising shortly after sunset on June 28.

The Mars rover has been travelling across the Red Planet conducting tests. Most recently, it drilled into a rock called "Cumberland," which lies about nine feet west of the rock where the rover's drill first touched the Martian surface in February. There, Curiosity took the first ever sample from Mars from a rock called "John Klein." The first test was a success; scientists were able to see evidence of an ancient environment that was favorable to microbial life, hinting at a Martian past that may have supported alien life. Currently, scientists are still analyzing the data from the second drill sample.

Yet Curiosity isn't only collecting samples, it's also sparked the interest of people across the world. NASA is making an effort to involve the public in its endeavors in space. For example, the space agency recently invited the public to send in haikus and names that the MAVEN spacecraft will ferry to the Red Planet. It's part of an ongoing effort to encourage interest in space activities.

The current video lasts just 32 seconds, but the actions that it reveals took place over the course of 27 minutes, according to The Huffington Post. The large ring visible in the video is an artifact that's actually caused by the scattering of light inside the camera. You can see the tiny Phobos--just 14 miles wide on average--rising into the sky. Mars' other moon, Deimos, is actually smaller.

Want to see the moonrise for yourself? Check out the video below, courtesy of NASA and YouTube.