24 April 2023
Mars’ mysterious moon Deimos
© Emirates Mars Mission
A moon of Mars showed off its pockmarked face in an unprecedented close-up view. Deimos, one of the small moons of Mars, was imaged by the Hope Mars mission from as close as 100 kilometres (60 miles) – the closest look yet. “These images and observations represent a significant step forward in our knowledge of Deimos, its atmosphere, composition, origins and what this means for our understanding of Mars more broadly,” United Arab Emirates Space Agency officials said. For example, the spacecraft’s observations of the composition of Deimos suggest the moon came from Mars itself, which is another step forward in resolving a long-standing debate about its origins. Previous studies suggested the moons’ compositions could be similar to asteroids or dwarf planets, being made up of carbonaceous chondrites. Primitive meteorites are thought to be remnants of the original building blocks of planets. The moons are also potato-shaped and small, much like asteroids, suggesting Mars may have snatched them when they strayed too close to the Red Planet.