The mystery of Mars’ moons finally solved? NASA showed the video
Earth and Mars are a very unique duo in our solar system. No other rocky planets have their own moons. We have already learned a little about the origin of our Earth’s satellite. The moons of Mars, however, were more mysterious. Until now.
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The prevailing theory today indicates that Earth’s natural satellite is the result of a collision between our planet and a Mars-sized object called Theia. This proposal still has some loose ends to clarify. But until recently, the origin of Deimos and Phobos – two moons of Mars – was probably much more mysterious. New computer simulations indicate that the two popular models describing their creation may actually come down to some kind of compromise.
Compromise
Phobos and Deimos resemble small asteroids. This is also a clue that they could have been objects captured by Mars in space. However, other, larger rocky planets in our solar system do not have such moons. In addition, the captured objects should have more elliptical orbits, not circular ones as in the case of natural Mars satellites. The second scenario is that the moons could have been created by a collision similar to the one that happened between Earth and Theia. But in this case, the moons would form close to the Red Planet. So Deimos doesn’t fit into this equation.
The latest model proposes a combination of these two theories. The proposed model showed a large asteroid passing close enough to Mars that the planet’s tidal forces would tear it apart. In subsequent stages, further small collisions could take place, which would ultimately lead to the creation of cosmic dust, from which two moons would be formed. Although computer models seem to better fit the existing situation, measurements of samples from Phobos and Deimos are still needed for final confirmation. The fastest they will be downloaded after 2026, when the Mars Moons eXploration mission organized by the Japanese space agency JAXA is scheduled to launch.
