Phobos is the larger and innermost of Mars' two moons. Phobos is closer to its primary than any other moon in the solar system, less than 6000 km above the surface of Mars. It is also one of the smallest moons in the solar system. In Greek mythology, Phobos is one of the sons of Ares (Mars) and Aphrodite (Venus). "phobos" is Greek for "fear" (the root of "phobia"). Discovered 1877 August 12 by Hall; photographed by Mariner 9 in 1971, Viking 1 in 1977, and Phobos in 1988.(Orbit: 9378 km from the center of Mars, Diameter: 22.2 km (27 x 21.6 x 18.8), Mass: 1.08e16 kg) |
(Picture left) Temperature data and close-up images of the Martian moon Phobos gathered by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor (1998) indicate the surface of this small body has been pounded into powder by eons of meteoroid impacts, some of which started landslides that left dark trails marking the steep slopes of giant craters. | |
(Picture left, Click for full size) Phobos as viewed on August 19, 1998, 10 AM PDT. The MGS spacecraft was approximately 1080 km (671 mi) from Phobos at closest approach. This image, about 8.2 km (5.1 mi) wide by 12 km (7.5 mi) tall, shows the full field-of-view of the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) as spacecraft motion swept across the satellite. The image as shown here has a scale of 12 m (40 feet) per picture element ("pixel"). |
Space Mysteries : The Face on Mars
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