NASA has released a striking new image of Phobos, Mars' larger and oddly shaped moon, often referred to as the "space potato" due to its lumpy and irregular shape.
This unique structure is a result of its small size and weak gravity, giving it an appearance reminiscent of a potato.
Phobos' peculiar form is highlighted in the image captured by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by NASA (@nasa) × Notably, a prominent white patch is visible next to Stickney crater, one of the largest craters on Phobos' right side.
The HiRISE camera, which has been studying Mars since 2006, continues to provide invaluable insights into the Martian environment and its moons.
NASA has released a striking new image of Phobos, Mars' larger and oddly shaped moon, often referred to as the "space potato" due to its lumpy and irregular shape.
Phobos, which measures about 17 by 14 by 11 miles (27 by 22 by 18 kilometres), lacks the gravitational strength to form a spherical shape like Earth's Moon.
This unique structure is a result of its small size and weak gravity, giving it an appearance reminiscent of a potato.
Phobos' peculiar form is highlighted in the image captured by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
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The image, taken against the backdrop of the dark expanse of space, shows the moon's brownish-red, crater-filled surface. View this post on Instagram A post shared by NASA (@nasa) × Notably, a prominent white patch is visible next to Stickney crater, one of the largest craters on Phobos' right side. Even after its seemingly static presence, Phobos is on a slow yet inevitable collision course with Mars.
The moon is gradually inching closer to the Red Planet at a rate of about six feet (1.8 metres) every hundred years. At this pace, scientists predict that Phobos will either crash into Mars or break apart into a ring around the planet in approximately 50 million years.
The HiRISE camera, which has been studying Mars since 2006, continues to provide invaluable insights into the Martian environment and its moons.
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Deimos, the smaller and more distant moon, orbits Mars at an average distance of about 23,500 kilometres (14,600 miles).
It is also irregularly shaped but has a smoother appearance compared to Phobos, with fewer large craters and a more uniform surface covered by a thick regolith.
Its most significant features include two craters named Swift and Voltaire. Deimos' orbit is slowly moving it away from Mars, but this process is happening at a much slower rate.
(With inputs from agencies)
