Astro Quiz 42: Moons of Mars?
Question #42 – Does Mars have a moon?
Answer:
Mars actually has two moons! They are both small compared to moons around other planets, and they are much smaller than Earth's Moon. Deimos, named after the Greek god of Dread, is less than 8 miles in diameter and is further away from Mars than the other moon, Phobos. Phobos, named after the Greek god of Fear, is about 17 miles in diameter and is less than 6,000 miles from Mars. Because it is so close, it only takes a little more than 7 hours to complete one orbit.
You can learn more about the moons of Mars on NASA's Solar System Exploration website.
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Views of Phobos (left) and Deimos (right) as taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter |
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