Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-vvkck Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-28T10:39:45.241Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Moons: Phobos and Deimos

from Map Sheets

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 August 2019

Kenneth S. Coles
Affiliation:
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Kenneth L. Tanaka
Affiliation:
United States Geological Survey, Arizona
Philip R. Christensen
Affiliation:
Arizona State University
Get access

Summary

Phobos is the larger of the two moons of Mars, with a mean diameter2 of about 22 km and an orbital radius of 9,376 km. Phobos orbits faster than Mars rotates, so it rises in the west and sets in the east as viewed from the planet’s surface. The low orbit has made it a target for robotic spacecraft orbiting Mars. Images show craters along with numerous grooves (Figure M.1). Explanations proposed for their origin include tidal-stress induced fracturing and secondary impacts from larger craters, such as Stickney, on Phobos. Study of recent, better-resolution images suggests that the grooves, which are absent on the trailing end of Phobos, may be chains of secondary impacts caused by debris from impacts on Mars (Murray and Heggie, 2014), or debris from impacts on Phobos that orbited the moon before impacting it (Nayak and Asphaug, 2016). Lineations within Stickney (Figure M.2) may be from landslides in the moon’s weak gravity. Study of the thermal properties of the surface may determine whether the surface material is loose or relatively coherent, as these would show different rates of heating and cooling (Figure M.3).

Type
Chapter
Information
The Atlas of Mars
Mapping its Geography and Geology
, pp. 244 - 246
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×