New Hi-Res Views of Mars's ''Fear'' Moon Unveiled

April 13, 2008 / by anacoana

Martian Moon Phobos
    

Got 3-D glasses? Combining two recent hi-def images of Phobos created a stereo shot of the moon that provides a textured view of its pockmarked surface.

Astronomers hope the new images will teach them more about Phobos's origin and evolution—before the tiny moon self-destructs.

Gravitational forces are bringing Phobos 6 feet (1.8 meters) closer to Mars every century, and scientists think it will either crash land or rip apart within about 80 million years.
Martian Moon Phobos
Martian Moon Phobos
Martian Moon Phobos
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Martian Moon Phobos
   

 

It might look like the Death Star, but rebel forces would have nothing to fear from Phobos, the Martian moon named for the Greek god of horror. The moon was recently imaged in high resolution by the Mars-orbiting HiRISE camera.

The tiny moon's most prominent feature is Stickney Crater, pictured above in false color. Blue regions around the rim likely represent younger material, scientists say.

"Based on analogy with material on our own moon, the bluer color could mean that the material is fresher or hasn't been exposed to space as long as the rest of Phobos's surface has," HiRISE team member Nathan Bridges said in a press release.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/04/

photogalleries/phobos-pictures/photo3.html

2 comments on New Hi-Res Views of Mars's ''Fear'' Moon Unveiled

  • martne said 4 months ago

    Cool

  • donnamg said 4 months ago

    Gee, those images are really something!  Fascinating.

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