Tag Archives: Phobos

Phobos, Deimos formed after giant impact

Posted on April 19, 2018 by rburnham

Southwest Research Institute scientists posit a violent birth of the tiny Martian moons Phobos and Deimos, but on a much smaller scale than the giant impact thought to have resulted in the Earth-Moon system. Their work shows that an impact … Continue reading →

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Mars Express views both moons against Saturn’s rings

Posted on March 1, 2018 by rburnham

New images and video from ESA’s Mars Express show Phobos and Deimos drifting in front of Saturn and background stars, revealing more about the positioning and surfaces of the Red Planet’s mysterious moons. Mars’ two small moons are intriguing objects. … Continue reading →

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THEMIS images Phobos and Deimos

Posted on March 1, 2018 by rburnham

Phobos and Deimos, the moons of Mars, are seen in this movie put together from 19 images taken by the Mars Odyssey orbiter’s Thermal Emission Imaging System, or THEMIS, camera. The images were taken in visible-wavelength light. THEMIS also recorded … Continue reading →

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Trace Gas Orbiter: Crossing Phobos’ orbit while aerobraking

Posted on November 16, 2017 by rburnham

[Editor’s note: See update.] Here are the facts about the Phobos orbit crossing today [November 16]. The orbit crossing is not a Phobos flyby. In fact, we did our best to ensure that Phobos would be at the farthest possible … Continue reading →

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Solar eruptions could electrify Martian moons

Posted on October 20, 2017 by rburnham

Powerful solar eruptions could electrically charge areas of the Martian moon Phobos to hundreds of volts, presenting a complex electrical environment that could possibly affect sensitive electronics carried by future robotic explorers, according to a new NASA study. The study … Continue reading →

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Hubble Space Telescope images Phobos

Posted on July 20, 2017 by rburnham

While photographing Mars, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured a cameo appearance of the tiny moon Phobos on its trek around the Red Planet. Discovered in 1877, the diminutive, potato-shaped moon is so small that it appears star-like in the Hubble … Continue reading →

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Did a giant impact create the northern lowlands, both moons, and enrich the mantle?

Posted on July 19, 2017 by rburnham

The origin and nature of Mars are mysterious. The planet has geologically distinct hemispheres with smooth lowlands in the north and cratered, high-elevation terrain in the south. The red planet also has two small oddly-shaped oblong moons and a composition that sets … Continue reading →

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Curiosity update: A roving astronomer

Posted on June 24, 2017 by rburnham

Sol 1736-39, June 23, 2017, update by MSL scientists Michael Battalio and Mark Salvatore: Curiosity has presented us with another beautiful workspace following a 16.6 meter drive.  The majority of this week’s activities were focused on imaging Vera Rubin Ridge to … Continue reading →

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Curiosity update: Roving right along

Posted on June 19, 2017 by rburnham

Sol 1729-31, June 17, 2017, update by MSL scientist Abigail Fraeman: The drive on Sol 1728 was successful, and our weekend plan will be chock-full of activities. On the first sol, we will do some contact science on the rather … Continue reading →

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Curiosity update: Science frenzy!

Posted on May 9, 2017 by rburnham

Sol 1692, May 9, 2017, update by MSL scientist Rachel Kronyak: After the drive on Sol 1691, the workspace in front of the rover had plenty of interesting rocks in front of us to keep us busy. Today I served as … Continue reading →

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