Mars has two moons: Phobos and Deimos. The first was recently photographed by the Tianwen-1 spacecraft from a relatively short distance.
Phobos is closer to the surface of the Red Planet and is also slightly larger than its other natural satellites. Thanks to the mission of the Chinese probe Tianwen-1, it was possible to photograph this object from a distance of about 5,000 km. This made it possible to capture them in amazing detail.
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Just look at the image above to find out. The level of detail is so high that recently uploaded photos show many of the craters covering the surface of Phobos, with the impact crater known as the Öpik in the foreground. This structure is named after the Estonian astronomer and astrophysicist Ernst Julius Obek.
Phobos is the largest of the two moons of Mars
On the other hand, Phobos himself is doomed. Scientists predict that at some point – which should happen in tens of millions of years – it will collide with the surface of Mars. Their predictions are based on the fact that its orbit is now shrinking regularly – by about 1.8 meters per year. This is already relatively short, as Phobos needs only eight hours to complete a full orbit around the Red Planet.
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The discovery of this natural satellite dates back to 1877. At that time Phobos was recognized, as well as Deimos. The search for these objects, headed by Mars, is being carried out by the Tianwen-1 satellite. On the other hand, the Zhurong rover, which is currently in hibernation, supposed to survive the Martian winter, is moving on the surface of the red planet.
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