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The two moons were discovered in 1877 by American astronomer Asaph Hall. It is named after Phobos, the Greek god of fear and panic, who is the son of Ares (Mars) and twin brother of Deimos . Phobos is a small, irregularly shaped object with a mean radius of 11 km (7 mi). [5]
Phobos is the larger and closer of Mars' two moons, with a giant crater named Stickney. Learn about its discovery, composition, temperature, and collision course with Mars.
- Discovery and Name
- Exploring The Moons
- Formation and Composition
- Doomed
- On The Surface
- Facts About Phobos
In the early 17th century, German astronomer Johannes Kepler proposed that Mars might host two moons, given that it lay between the Earth and Jupiter, which were known to have one and four satellites. No evidence of such moons could be found. Although most people thought that Mars had no moons, American astronomer Asaph Hall performed a methodical ...
As the exploration of continued, scientists were able to learn more information about the satellites circling Mars. The Viking orbiters flew by in the late 1970s. The Soviet Phobos 2 mission, NASA's Mars Global Surveyor, and the European Mars Express all provided more clues about the two curious moons. Rovers from the planet's surface even got in o...
The examination of Phobos and its companion revealed more than their odd, non-spherical shapes. The two moons are dark gray in color, and heavily cratered. The moons are some of the darkest, least reflective objects in the solar system. After observing the pair, scientists concluded that they were made of material similar to Type I or II carbonaceo...
But Phobos won't zip around Mars forever. The doomed moon is spiraling inward at a rate of 1.8 centimeters (seven-tenths of an inch) per year, or 1.8 meters (about 6 feet) each century. Within 50 million years, the moon will either collide with its parent planet or be torn into rubble and scattered as a ring around Mars. The unusual characteristics...
The larger of the two moons, Phobos has a diameter of 10 by 14 by 11 miles (17 by 22 by 18 km). The surface is covered with a dusty powder 3 feet (1 meter) thick, likely caused by meteor bombardment. A large impact crater dominates the moon. Stretching nearly 6 miles (9.5 km), Stickney Cratercovers most of the surface. The impact that formed it lik...
Radius of moon: 6.9 miles (11.1 km)Semi-major axis around Mars (distance from planet's center): 5,826 miles (9,376 km)Closest approach: 5,738 miles (9,234 km)Farthest approach: 5,914 miles (9,518 km)- 32 sec
- Nola Taylor Tillman
Apr 1, 2024 · Phobos, the inner and larger of the two moons of Mars, in a composite of photographs taken by the Viking 1 orbiter in October 1978 from a distance of about 600 km (370 miles). The most prominent feature is the impact crater Stickney, which is almost half as wide as the moon itself.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Phobos is the larger and closer of Mars' two moons, with a giant crater named Stickney. Learn about its discovery, composition, temperature, and collision course with Mars.
Nov 10, 2015 · Mars’ gravity is drawing in Phobos, the larger of its two moons, by about 6.6 feet (2 meters) every hundred years. Scientists expect the moon to be pulled apart in 30 to 50 million years. New modeling indicates that the grooves on Mars’ moon Phobos could be produced by tidal forces – the mutual gravitational pull of the planet and the moon.
Feb 1, 2021 · William Steigerwald. Feb 01, 2021. Article. The Martian moon Phobos orbits through a stream of charged atoms and molecules that flow off the Red Planet’s atmosphere, new research shows. Many of these charged particles, or ions, of oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, and argon, have been escaping Mars for billions of years as the planet has been ...
