Mars’s two moons, Phobos and Deimos, have puzzled researchers since their discovery in 1877. They are very small: Phobos’s diameter of 22 kilometers is 160 times smaller than that of our moon, and Deimos is even smaller, with a diameter of only 12 kilometers. “Our moon is essentially spherical, while the moons of Mars are very irregularly shaped—like potatoes,” says Amirhossein…
Tag: Deimos
Mars atmosphere shedding charged particles onto Phobos?
New research suggests that particles escaping from Mars’ atmosphere have been accumulating on the surface of the planet’s largest moon Phobos for billions of years. They could provide important new details about the history of both worlds. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/mars-atmosphere-history-phobos-soil…
Mars to reach opposition October 13
Earth passes between Mars and the sun, at opposition, on October 13, 2020, yet the Earth and Mars actually come closest together on October 6, 2020. Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/mars-to-reach-opposition-october-13…
Amazing photos in Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter celebration
NASA has posted a sampling of some of the most awe-inspiring photos of Mars, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the launch of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. They are proof that Mars is a very photogenic world. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/mars-photos-mars-reconnaissance-orbiter-15th-anniversary…
Today in science: Asaph Hall finds Mars moon Phobos
On this date in 1877, American astronomer Asaph Hall discovered the first small moon known to be orbiting Mars. Scientists now think this moon – called Phobos – is the latest incarnation of a cyclic ring-moon formation process that goes back billions of years. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/this-date-in-science-asaph-hall-discovers-a-moon-for-mars…
Did ancient Mars have rings?
A new study of Mars’ smallest moon Deimos, by scientists from the SETI Institute and Purdue University, suggests that the planet used to have rings a few billion years ago. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/did-ancient-mars-have-rings-deimos…
Mars once had rings and a much bigger moon, new evidence suggests
Some scientists suspect Martian moons sometimes break up into rings. A new piece of evidence from the surviving moon Deimos’ orbit supports that theory. Source: https://www.livescience.com/martian-moon-deimos-lopsided-orbit-rings.html
Martian moon’s orbit hints at an ancient ring of Mars
Scientists from the SETI Institute and Purdue University have found that the only way to produce Deimos’s unusually tilted orbit is for Mars to have had a ring billions of years ago. While some of the more massive planets in our solar system have giant rings and numerous big moons, Mars only has two small, misshapen moons, Phobos and Deimos. Although…
Japan wants to launch the first ever rover to visit a Martian moon
In 2024, Japan wants to send a rover to one of Mars’s moons, Phobos and Deimos. Samples taken there could help us sort out how they formed and whether they hold ice Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2207216-japan-wants-to-launch-the-first-ever-rover-to-visit-a-martian-moon/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Trilobites: Watch Two Eclipses on Mars, Recorded by NASA’s Curiosity Rover
Phobos and Deimos, the two Martian moons, got between the red planet and the sun in March. Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/04/science/mars-eclipse-moons-phobos-deimos.html?partner=rss&emc=rss