The initial close-ups of the little moon indicate we were mistaken about
where it came from.
The greatest photographs of Deimos, a moon of Mars, have just been captured
by the United Arab Emirates Space Agency (UAESA), and they challenge our
preconceived notions about the tiny satellite.
There are two moons orbiting Mars. Phobos, the largest of the two, is 14
miles broad and orbits the planet from a distance of just 3,700 miles, while
Deimos, the smallest of the two, has a diameter of just 9 miles and orbits
the planet from a distance of 14,580 miles.
We anticipate advancing our fundamental knowledge of these two Martian
satellites.
Phobos is simpler to examine during missions to Mars since it is larger and
closer than Deimos, and NASA's
Mars Global Surveyor
and
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
have both captured high-resolution photographs of the moon during close
flybys.
Regarding Deimos, the NASA Viking 2 orbiter did come within 19 miles of the
moon, but that was in 1977, so the technology available at the time wasn't
as advanced as it is now.
What is novel? After successfully completing its initial mission to
investigate Mars' atmosphere up close, the UAE's Hope orbiter was boosted to
a higher orbit this year so that it could study the planet
in its entirety.
The orbiter arrived at Mars in 2021.
Hope was able to snap the first-ever pictures of the side of Deimos that is
constantly turned away from Mars' surface because to its revised orbit,
which also made it possible to see Deimos from as near as 68 miles away and
study it in high detail.
Deimos and Phobos are of importance to astronomers because, by learning
more about them and how they came to circle Mars, we can better comprehend
how the solar system began.
According to studies made by Hope's three onboard sensors, Deimos and
Phobos appear to have compositions more similar to Mars itself than caught
asteroids, contrary to the long-held notion that both of Mars' moons are
asteroids that were trapped by its gravitational attraction.
This means that the moons might have developed from leftover material after
Mars originated, or they could be pieces of Mars that broke out in the past,
possibly as a result of an asteroid collision.
Looking ahead: Japan intends to send a probe to examine them and bring back
samples from Phobos in the middle of the 2020s, which might soon put an end
to the enigma surrounding Mars' moons. Hope's mission has been extended by
the UAESA until 2024, allowing the probe extra opportunities to fly by
Deimos.
According
to Justin Deighan, Deputy Science Lead of the Emirates Mars Mission, "We
have a unique opportunity with Hope, to characterize the composition,
thermophysics, and precise geomorphology of Deimos with these new
observations."
We anticipate advancing our fundamental knowledge of Phobos and Deimos as
well as gaining a deeper picture of their histories and development.
