Does Mars have a moon?

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A summer evening in 1877, American astronomer Hall Asaph looked through his Washington telescope, DC March was at his point closest to the earth on his orbit, and Hall had a question in mind: does the red planet have a moon?

After several nights of research in a heavy fog, Hall spotted not only one but two moons, which he named Phobos and Deimos, the “Terror” and “Panic” Twins in Greek mythology whose parents were Ares and Aphrodite (March and Venus in Roman mythology). These moons, however, are very different from ours – and scientists still have many questions about their origins.

“Phobos and Deimos are among the smallest moons in our solar system”, ” Christopher S. EdwardsProfessor of astronomy and planetary sciences at the Northern Arizona University, told Live Science in an email.

Compared to our moon, which measures 2,159 miles (3,475 kilometers) in diameter, Phobos and Deimos are only tiny spots in the sky. On average, Phobos measures just 14 miles (22 km) in diameter, and Deimos is even smaller, about 7 miles (12 km) on average. Their width is not consistent because these two tiny moons are not perfectly round.

“They are sort of bumpy, in the shape of a potato and are really, really dark, like the brightness of the new asphalt,” said Edwards.

A moon is defined as any naturally formed body which permanently orbit a planet. But because of their irregular form and their miniature size, many scientists say that phobos and demios are more like asteroids than moons.

It is possible that the Mars moons are at the origin of the asteroids captured by the gravitational attraction of the planet. There is also a theory according to which the two moons were created after a large object collided with Mars, creating debris which formed the two lunar bodies, similar to the way in which the moon of the earth probably formed. These two hypotheses are still to be discussed.

In relation: How many moons are there in the solar system?

“The way in which Mars moons have been formed is a major open question for science,” Nancy ChabotChief scientist in the spatial exploration sector at the Johns Hopkins Applied physics laboratory, Live Science told an email.

A composite image of two pomotal -shaped bumpy moons

The two moons of March, Phobos (left) and Deimos (right). (Image credit: NASA / JPL-CALTECH / University of Arizona)

For the moment, there is evidence on both sides. The visible and short infrared spectral analyzes of the moons point to a composition consistent with asteroids, but it is also difficult to explain physics behind Mars snatching two asteroids, said Edwards. Indeed, Mars has a relatively low gravitational traction, and the shape and location of the orbits of the two moons would be difficult to achieve thanks to the capture of asteroids. Edwards added that Hope data Mission Emirates Mars suggests that the two moons have slightly different compositions, still complicating things.

But an upcoming mission for March could soon provide more answers. THE Exploration of Martian moons (MMX) Mission of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa), planned to be launched in 2026, will go to Mars and explore its two moons, and even bring a sample of phobos on Earth.

“The MMX mission of Jaxa is very exciting and should be the first to unravel the mysteries of Martian moons, in particular by responding to the way they have formed,” said Chabot.

The analysis of the composition of this sample will help to clarify the origin of Phobos and Deimos, because a moon which was once an asteroid would have a very different chemical composition to a moon which was formed from early Mars pieces.

If the Phobos sample indicates that the moons have formed from a collision with Mars, it could open the door to even more exciting discoveries. In this case, the sample could shed light if the early red planet had the extraterrestrial life potential.

“These could in fact be early March samples”, which may have been welcoming for life, said Edwards.